Australian woman, 26, feared missing in Nepal flood zone makes contact with family as new warning issued

An Australian woman reported missing in the Nepal floods has made contact with her parents.Cara Severino, 26, was hiking along the Langtang Trek, in the flooding region, and was able to call her parents on Friday morning.

“We understand that they are attempting to reach Kathmandu on foot. We eagerly await more information about her safe return,” her parents Debbie and Frank Severino told The Age.

“We praise God that she has been able to make this brief contact with us.”

Australia’s Departent of Foreign Affairs and Trade has urged the hiker to contact consular staff.

“DFAT is urgently working to get in touch with an Australian who has made contact with their family so DFAT can provide consular assistance,” a spokesperson said.

“We understand that they were last reported in a remote area, several days hike from Kathmandu. DFAT is urgently engaging with local authorities on plans to assist them.

“With that Australian accounted for by their family, there are now 38 Australians unaccounted for.”

Recovery will cost ‘billions’

Nepal’s Finance Minister says reconstructing after the landslide and floods will cost as least “a few billion dollars”.

Nepal’s economy is worth approximately US$45bn, compared to US$264bn in New Zealand, and $1.8 trillion for Australia.

Nepalese Finance Minister, Swarnim Wagle, told Bloomberg Television after the first phase of rescue and relief efforts, the government’s second phase of recovery would potentially involve “cash for work initiatives”, along with shelter, food, water, electricity and telecommunication rebuilds.

“Cumulatively, I think the losses and damages, when they will be finally quantified in a week or so, will amount to at least a few billion dollars,” Dr Wagle said.

“Preliminary estimates are quite worrying.”

Chinese President orders surveys of glaciers, lakes

Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered faster surveys of glaciers and lakes on the Tibetan Plateau.

The President said at a meeting Friday the rescue efforts were facing “extreme difficulties”, Bloomberg reports.

The comments were made at a Politburo meeting Friday, where the Chinese Communist Party’s decision makers pledged assistance for Nepal and called for all-out search and rescue efforts. The Chinese government on Thursday said about 100 Chinese nationals in Nepal were unaccounted for.

A spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry said analysis had shown the destruction was likely caused by a high-altitude glacier collapse in Nepal.

More flooding inundates areas of Nepal

Another wave of flooding is hitting inundated areas of Nepal, just days after a glacier collapsed and caused massive flash floods that have killed hundreds and left thousands missing.

The death toll now stands at 538, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Authority.

There are 1400 people missing – including at least 39 Australians.

On Friday, Nepalese authorities said another round of dangerous floods is threatening lives after a dam broke on the Tibetan side of the border.

Shortly after 4pm AEST Friday, the Nepal Police issued a warning saying a barrier lake dam had broken, and that all members of the public, rescue workers and security personnel need to move to safe ground.

The alert did not appear to say which dam, village or valley was affected.

Rescue operations have been paused following the announcement.

Nepali Police confirmed the new official death toll on Friday afternoon, as local authorities warn of more potential floods, as two newly formed lakes are at risk of rising and bursting.

“Residents of the lower banks … passengers, rescuers engaged in rescue operations, and all concerned are requested to exercise special caution and stay in safe places away from the river banks and risky areas,” the authority’s statement read.

Those in the area have been urged to seek higher ground and move away from the river beds.

The Nepalese National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority on Friday morning said the lakes were forming along the Lende River, and there was a potential risk for a “huge flood” to occur.

“Everyone (is) requested to adopt extreme alertness and remain with high caution. An estimation has been made that additional lakes may form in that area.”

Neighbours of missing Aussies ‘in shock’

A neighbour of the Iyer family, who are part of the missing cohort of Aussies, said she “slept terribly” upon realising they were caught up in the devastation.

Sreedharan Iyer, 53, Lakshmi Sreedharan Iyer, 50, and their sons Rudhra, 21, and Rishabh, 24, were travelling with US-based tour operator Himalayan Glacier Adventures at the time the natural disaster struck.

Rudhra and Rishabh are both medical students at Western Sydney University and Newcastle University respectively.

Margaret Young, 84, said she had a close relationship with Mr and Mrs Iyer, who affectionately referred to her and her husband as their “Aussie parents”.

She said she had watched their two sons grow up, and the family “would do anything for you if they could”.

Ms Young told NewsWire that Sreedharan had once saved her life.

“He just knew I’d had a stroke. I got an ambulance here within minutes. They took me to North Shore and did a clot retrieval, so I was super lucky that he was around,” she said.

The Iyers travelled to the region with their friends, Venkatraman Balakrishnan, 52, and Chitra Venkatraman, 46.

The Iyer brothers are both studying medicine at the University of Newcastle. Rishab in his fifth year and Rudhra in his third.

Vice-Chancellor Alex Zelinsky said the nervous wait for information about the Iyer family was affecting a lot of people.

“We are thinking of them, their families, their fellow students and teaching staff, as well as the many people who have been impacted by this devastating event and we hope that both students can be located soon.

“We have more than 450 students studying with us from Nepal and many others with strong links to this region,” Professor Zelinsky said.

“Our priority is supporting our students and staff during this very sad time.”

Of the Australians reported missing, 15 were confirmed to be travelling with Himalayan Glacier Adventures.

Umesh and Krishna Sharma were part of the group, with their son Chitrak revealing his desperate attempts to contact his parents after learning of the disaster.

Speaking to 9News, Chitrak said the pair were “very excited” to embark on the tour.

“I’ve just been trying to get in contact with them … calling hospitals. I just want to find my parents. They’re all I have, really,” he told the broadcaster.

“I said bye to them, and I didn’t think it was the last time I was ever going to see them.

“I would do anything just to bring them home.”

Four members of the Muralitharan family – brothers Ashwin and Aarush Muralitharan, aged 11 and 14, and their parents Shylaja and Chandrasekaran – are on the Himalayan Glacier Adventures group list.

Speaking to NewsWire, neighbour Ragu Kanagaraj said the Muralitharan family were “the kindest people I’ve ever met and the best neighbours anyone could ask for”.

Mr Kanagaraj has been living alongside the family for 2½ years and has become close with them.

“I just hope they come back safely. I can’t imagine living next to somebody else now. They’ve become like family to us,’ he said.

He said waking up without the family next door had been heartbreaking.

“I broke down this morning. It’s tough. Everything reminds me of them,” he said.

“When we step outside, we see their house. It’s a constant reminder.”

Narayan Panthi, a Brisbane father of two, was also part of the group and remains unaccounted for.

“We tried to contact him and his family and friends over in Nepal – we haven’t got anything back,” his family friend Amrit Bhusal told 9News.

Couple Sidharthi Sahu and Sandeep Mohapatra, who were in Nepal to complete the sacred pilgrimage of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, are also among the missing Australians.

Mr Mohapatra is an engineer and his wife, Ms Sahu, works in IT.

The couple, who moved to Australia in 2018, were part of a group heading for the sacred pilgrimage when the disaster struck.

Mr Mohapatra’s cousin Soumya told the Times of India their family were fearing the worst.

“We got a call from Indian authorities saying there is no information about them,” he said.

“With every passing hour, our hopes are fading.”

Uday and Kripa Shivamurthy have also been named in the list of missing Australians in Nepal.

The Sydney couple, who worked as an architect and accountant respectively, were travelling with The Trekkers’ Society, which specialises in tour and treks thorough Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan.

The couple were known to take the pilgrimage every few years, niece Navya Nataraj told CNN.

She said the pair were returning home and waiting to cross the border from China to Nepal.

Ten minutes later, the landslide and flooding struck.

“We have been getting conflicting reports,” Ms Nataraj told the outlet.

“But then today they released aerial images. We are distraught and devastated.”

Outdoor Education expert Michael Keats, 37, is also among the missing.

Husband’s frantic trip to disaster zone

The husband of Newcastle-based mum Reshma Patel, 46, who was near the Nepal-China border about 10 minutes before the floods tore through the region, has boarded a flight to Nepal in search of his wife.

Family friend Chin Valsan said Ms Patel was travelling home after visiting the Kailash Mansarovar as part of the Isha Foundation pilgrimage and hadn’t been heard from since.

“ … family and friends have been unable to reach her and are deeply concerned for her safety and wellbeing,” Ms Valsan said.

She said Ms Patel’s husband had boarded a flight to Nepal on Friday morning in the desperate search for his wife.

“If anyone has seen Reshma, has travelled with her, has information about her whereabouts or has any contacts with local authorities, hospitals, rescue teams, tour operators or pilgrimage groups in the region, please contact the family immediately or notify the nearest police authority,” Ms Valsan said.

Kushagra Tiwari has been desperately trying to find out where his friend Bharat Mangwani, 42, has ended up.

Mr Tiwari told NewsWire the 42-year-old Sydney-based engineer and father of two had been on his way back from a religious pilgrimage at Lake Manasarovar when his friends and family lost contact with him.

“After that, we haven’t been able to trace him. We are trying to find out any information possible,” he said.

Mr Tiwari said Mr Mangwani’s wife was on her way to Kathmandu to personally search for her missing husband.

Mother of two Sumi Adhikari, 41, is another Australian who was travelling with the Isha Foundation at the time of the devastating floods.

The Sydney-based Optus network engineer was at the border of Nepal and China when the floodwaters hit and hasn’t been seen or heard from since. Her husband Nava Pandey said he was flying to Nepal in search for Ms Adhikari, and urged for any information about the missing mother.

“I am in Nepal now, please only call if you have information about her,” he wrote online.

Family friend Shishya Sangroula said Ms Adhikari’s “last contact was from the immigration office” at the time of the flooding.

‘Immense challenge’ in search

Australian charities have united in the joint Nepal Flood Disaster Appeal to support those affected by the floods and landslides.

The Emergency Action Alliance is participating alongside Save the Children Australia, Plan International Australia, Oxfam Australia, Australia for UNHCR, ActionAid Australia, CARE Australia, Caritas Australia, ADRA, Act for Peace, Anglican Overseas Aid, Australian Lutheran World Service, Baptist World Aid Australia, CBM Australia, and Tearfund Australia.

EAA executive director Kerren Morris said the disaster was “heartbreaking”.

“Families have lost loved ones, homes and livelihoods in a matter of hours, and many communities are now cut off from essential services,” she said.

“Australians have a long history of standing alongside communities affected by disasters

around the world. This appeal brings together many of Australia’s leading charities and

provides a trusted way for people to help ensure vital assistance reaches those who need it most.

“Emergency shelter, food, safe drinking water and medical support are urgently needed now, while longer-term recovery efforts will continue for many months.”

The Australian arm of Catholic charity Caritas is also directing funds and efforts to the Emergency Action Alliance.

Caritas humanitarian manager Sally Thomas said Caritas Nepal workers delivering aid into the affected regions were doing so under the threat of more flooding, particularly in Nuwakot.

“Humanitarians often work in incredibly dangerous circumstances, and those most in danger are almost always local people supporting their own communities,” she said.

Caritas Nepal had set up a kitchen to feed 300 families over the next 15 days, and handed out tarps, mats and blankets to try and stop people sleeping outside from succumbing to wet weather.

“Beyond eating and finding somewhere dry to sleep, communities also require support to keep themselves and their families clean, access medical support for any injuries sustained as well as ongoing conditions,” Ms Thomas said.

“ … which is particularly acute for the elderly or pregnant, as well as mental health support as people are understandably incredibly traumatised.

“This trauma is being compounded by the fear of another wall of water heading their way.”

On Friday morning, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said officials were working urgently to confirm the welfare of the missing Australians and provide assistance to those affected.

“The extraordinary scale of this disaster and the remoteness of the affected region mean immense challenges lie ahead for the response and recovery,” she said.

“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is deploying additional personnel to support Australians affected by the disaster.”

Senator Wong said Australia would send $5m in humanitarian assistance, including $2m for the World Food Program to dispatch food rations and logistics support.

Australia will provide $2m to Australian NGOs through the Australian Humanitarian Partnership, offering emergency shelter, hygiene kits, blankets, medical support and psychosocial support, and a further $1m to the Emergency Action Alliance to support local-led recovery and rehabilitation in the impacted regions.

Speaking to ABC Radio National, Senator Wong said it was an “awful disaster” and authorities were working to identify how many Australians were in the region at the time.

She said a further four Australians remain unaccounted for, bringing the total to 39.

“Yesterday we knew of 35 (missing Australians), we know an additional four were travelling separately to these tours,” she said.

“We have been contacting families of the unaccounted for.”

Victoria’s Multicultural Affairs Minister, Paul Edbrooke, said the government would do anything it could to help Nepalese Australians.

“The Nepali community is one of the fastest growing in Victoria. We stand with you in your moment of pain.

“If there is anything the Victorian government can do to support your community through this period, we will.”

“The loss is heartbreaking … We commend the efforts of emergency services and volunteers in Nepal and China, who are working tirelessly.”

DFAT personnel have been deployed to the region and are assisting with crisis response.

There are 5400 members of the Nepali Army taking part in the rescue and providing medical assistance to the more than 900 people injured.

The Nepali Army said they had rescued 200 people from the ground and evacuated nearly 700 others, including 101 foreign nationals, via helicopter.

The Indian air force has been deployed to assist with the provision of supplies and rescuing survivors.

Senator Wong said Australia would deploy further assistance to the region to assist the families of those unaccounted for.

“It’s a very difficult situation, it’s a remote location,” she said.

She told ABC Radio Adelaide the department were working to contact the next of kin for the 39 missing Australians.

“We’ve had over 300 calls since we opened the centre yesterday and we are making calls and contacting next of kin when we can identify … the Australians who are currently missing.”

She issued a message to the families of those affected by the disaster.

“I know this is an extremely distressing time,” she said.

“For those who have loved ones unaccounted for, our thoughts are with them.”

Tour company Intrepid told NewsWire it operated 26 itineraries in Nepal, with two passing through the affected region.

However, none of the tours were operating at the time of the flood, the company said.

“For travellers with upcoming bookings to Nepal, we recommend staying in contact with their tour operator for the latest information relevant to their itinerary,” a spokesman said.

“While the flooding has had a devastating impact on communities in parts of the Langtang and Trishuli River region, the majority of Intrepid’s Nepal itineraries are operating as planned and have not been affected.”

Commercial flights to Nepal continue

Senator Wong told ABC Radio Adelaide that commercial flights would still operate in and out of Nepal as the search for those missing continues.

“Commercial flights are still available was the advice I had this morning,” she said.

“I think everyone would be aware of the catastrophic situation that the Nepalese people and Nepalese authorities are dealing with right now.”

Smartraveller has advised those travelling in Nepal as part of a group or tour to contact the operator or travel agent for updates and support.

“If you’re in an affected area, monitor local media for updates, follow the advice of local authorities, avoid floodwaters, landslide-prone areas and damaged infrastructure, review your travel plans and allow extra time for disruptions,” the website read.

“Transport services in the area may be disrupted or cancelled, including flights and buses.

“Contact your transport provider to confirm your service is running before going to the airport or station.”