FIRST AUSTRALIAN FAMILY CAUGHT IN DE-ADLY NEPAL FLOODS IS IDENTIFIED AS HEARTBROKEN FRIENDS ISSUE DESPERATE APPEAL — 34 AUSSIES ARE STILL MISSING AFTER AN ICE AND ROCK AVALANCHE TRIGGERED A WALL OF WATER THAT HAS LEFT AT LEAST 160 DE-AD
One of at least six Australian families caught in a devastating flood at the Tibet-Nepal border has been identified.
A close friend of the family, from Sydney, shared an urgent plea for information on Thursday following the flood on Wednesday.
Sridharan Iyer, Roopa Sridhar, Rudhra Sreedharan Iyer and Rishabh Sridharan Iyer were last known to be in Kathmandu.
‘They were last known to be in Kathmandu before the flood,’ friend Nisha Khadka wrote online.
‘If anyone has seen them, has any information about their whereabouts, or has found them safe, please contact me as soon as possible.
‘Please share this post widely so it can reach anyone who may have information.’
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).
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A family friend shared an urgent plea to find the Iyer family (above), from Sydney, following devastating floods in Nepal
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Sridharan Iyer, Roopa Sridhar, Rudhra Sreedharan Iyer and Rishabh Sridharan Iyer were last known to be in Kathmandu
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.
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.
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.
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At least 34 Australians are missing in the devastating floods, including two young boys
They ran for their lives through the fields as the wall of water and mud bulldozed its way through buildings.
Sagar Pandey, the founder of Himalayan Glacier Trekking, feared the worst for 15 Australians who were trekking with his company in a flood-stricken valley.
Mr Pandey said he’d lost contact with the group of 47 following the disaster in the Rasuwa area.
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.’
More to come…
