One of the Australian families feared caught up in a deadly flood near the Tibet-Nepal border has now been named, as concerns grow for at least six families from Australia.
A close family friend based in Sydney issued an urgent public appeal on Thursday, asking for any information after the flooding struck the region on Wednesday.
Sridharan Iyer, Roopa Sridhar, Rudhra Sreedharan Iyer and Rishabh Sridharan Iyer were understood to have last been in Kathmandu.
‘They were last known to be in Kathmandu before the flood,’ family friend Nisha Khadka wrote in an online post.
‘If anyone has seen them, knows anything about where they may be, or has heard that they are safe, please contact me as soon as possible.
‘Please share this post as widely as possible so it can reach someone who may have information.’
The family is believed to have been travelling with Himalayan Glacier Trekking when the group became unaccounted for during the flood.
Himalayan Glacier Trekking founder Sagar Pandey said contact had been lost with a group of 47 people, including 15 Australians, after the disaster unfolded in the Rasuwa area.
A family friend shared an urgent plea to find the Iyer family (above), from Sydney, following devastating floods in Nepal
Sridharan Iyer, Roopa Sridhar, Rudhra Sreedharan Iyer and Rishabh Sridharan Iyer were last known to be in Kathmandu
More than 5,000 army and police rescue personnel saved more than 120 people on Thursday
The Australians were aged between 11 and 64 and included two families of four from NSW.
Mr Pandey told The Guardian he’d flown over the affected area in a helicopter and had little hope his tour group survived.
‘To be honest, you would think there was no human civilisation there at all,’ he said.
‘The flash flood swept away everything, everything. You couldn’t see any human creations.
‘Still, I have a hope, but like one per cent. The rest I don’t have a hope, they are missing and missing and missing.’
The news is a devastating blow to the Hindu community in western Sydney, where the Iyer family live.
A friend of the Iyer family, Viswanathan Venkatachalam, described them as ‘angels in human form’ and very beloved.
‘We have no idea where they are stranded, and nobody’s telling us where they are or where they’ve reached,’ Mr Venkatachalam told The Australian.
At least 34 Australians are missing in the devastating floods, including two young boys
The Iyers were in Nepal as part of a spiritual pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, in Tibet.
At least 34 Australians, including two young boys, are among the almost 1,500 people missing in the natural disaster.
The massive floodwaters were triggered by an ice avalanche through the popular Himalayan region near the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday morning (local time).
The office of Nepal’s Prime Minister confirmed at least 160 deaths but the figure is expected to rise as rescue attempts continue.
More than 5,000 army and police rescue personnel saved more than 120 people on Thursday, including 20 foreigners.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is ‘urgently’ working to check on the missing Australians.
The department’s 24-hour emergency hotline can be domestically reached at 1300 555 135. If calling from overseas, the number is +61 2 6261 3305.
‘We extend our deepest sympathies to those affected by the significant flooding in Nepal and Tibet, China,’ a DFAT spokeswoman told Our News Outlet on Thursday.
Nepalese officials confirmed over 160 deaths and almost 1,500 missing persons
‘Australians in the affected area should follow the advice of local authorities.
‘We are aware of a number of Australians in the area and Australian officials are urgently working to confirm their welfare.
‘We are liaising with local authorities as well as tour operators.’
Foreign Minister Penny Wong added: ‘The loss of life and destruction caused by flash flooding in Nepal and China is devastating.
‘Our thoughts are with the loved ones of those killed or missing and all affected by this disaster.
‘DFAT officials are urgently working to confirm the welfare of Australians in the area.’
The collapse of a colossal section of glacier was triggered by a landslide, sending a devastating torrent of water, ice and debris into the valley below.
Terrifying footage showed a massive wave surging over the banks of the Bhote Koshi River and engulfing homes within seconds.
The Nepal Army has deployed troops and helicopters to affected areas
At least 34 Australians, including two young boys, are among the almost 1,500 people missing in the flood
As the torrent surged around a bend in the river, huge clouds of mist and spray rose above the settlement.
The floodwaters quickly covered a main road through the small town before surging across a field on the other side, where dozens of people were desperately trying to escape.
They ran for their lives through the fields as the wall of water and mud bulldozed its way through buildings.
The Nepal Army said 14 helicopters and disaster response teams have been deployed for rescue and relief.
But officials said the waters were too high for helicopters to land in Nepal’s affected areas of Syapru Besi and Timure in the mountainous district of Rasuwa, with a population of about 50,000.
Nepal’s rescue helicopters would be unable to land in the affected areas until the waters recede, however, army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet said.
