Four more Australians have been found safe following devastating floods near the Nepal-Tibet border. Five Australian citizens have now been located since Tuesday. One person was found in Nepal, while another was located in China. Three others were found outside the main disaster zone.
Some of those recently found had not been in contact with their families since the floods. Their relatives had been unable to confirm whether they were safe. However, 38 Australians are still unaccounted for. Families are continuing to call for greater efforts to locate their loved ones.
A Sri Lankan-origin Australian family is also among those who remain missing. Chandrasekaran Muralitharan, 47, was travelling with his wife, Shylaja Muralitharan, 42, and their two sons, Ashwin, 14, and Aarush, 11, as part of a Himalayan Glacier Adventures group. The family, from north-west Sydney, lost contact during the disaster.
The family is from north-west Sydney. Their disappearance has added to the concerns of many families waiting for news. The floods have caused major destruction in Nepal and areas near the Chinese border. Nepalese authorities said 1,050 bodies had been recovered by Tuesday. Another 3,916 people were still missing.
Chinese state media reported 16 deaths and 546 missing people. This puts the combined reported death toll at 1,066, while 4,462 people remain missing. More than 11,800 people have been rescued so far.
Rescue workers are focusing on hydropower projects and construction sites. Hundreds of workers are feared to be trapped. Nepal’s army has released pictures showing rescue teams searching through tunnels filled with mud and debris.
Victorian resident Anamika Shrestha is also waiting for news about her 65-year-old father, Ganesh Mani Shrestha. The engineer was working at a construction site near the Rasuwagadhi border crossing. He is not an Australian citizen.
Anamika said rescuers took about six days to reach the area. She believes more specialist search teams are needed. Her brother in Nepal has provided DNA samples to help identify her father if his remains are recovered.
The Australian government has announced $8 million in support for Nepal. Emergency supplies, including shelter, hygiene products, and solar lights, are being sent to affected areas. Eighteen Australian response personnel are also helping with rescue operations in Nepal.
In China, search dogs have been deployed at the destroyed Gyirong Port. Authorities have reopened the road and sent more workers to continue the search. Nepal has also started burying unidentified victims after collecting DNA samples. Morgues are struggling to cope with the number of bodies. At least 17 bodies have been recovered from rivers in neighboring India.
