The family of two Sydney boys who went missing with their parents in flash flooding in Nepal say they remain hopeful they will be found safe. Shylaja Muralitharan, 42, her husband, Chandrasekaran Muralitharan, 47, and their two sons Ashwin, 14 and Aarush, 11, were taking part in a pilgrimage when the flood hit on Wednesday morning. The family of four are among 39 Australians identified as missing in the region, with the death toll climbing to nearly 400, and about 1,400 people, mostly tourists, yet to be accounted for.
Shylaja’s younger sister, Vaishnavi, said that she had lost contact with the family shortly after breakfast on the morning of the flood. They planned to head towards an immigration checkpoint on the Tibet-Nepal border soon after, as part of the group of 15 Australians trekking as part of the Himalayan Glacier Adventures tour. The family had been training together for the long walk, she said.
She has spoken with department of foreign affairs and trade officials. So too were Sreedharan and Lakshmi Iyer, and their adult sons Rishab, 23, and Rudhra, 20. The brothers played cricket for West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook Cricket Club, in Sydney’s north-west.
Both tour companies have been contacted for comment. Several other Australians were travelling with other tour groups. It is understood the majority of missing Australians are from New South Wales, but there are also some from Victoria and Queensland.
Sagar Pandey, the founder and chief executive of Himalayan Glacier Adventures, said he had lost all contact with his tour group of 47 people, which included the 15 Australians. Pandey told the Guardian on Thursday he had flown by helicopter over the Rasuwa area, where the tour was staying, since the flood and had little hope they survived. You couldn’t see any human creations.
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, said on Friday that the Australian government was “rapidly mobilising consular and humanitarian support in response” to the flooding. Australian officials are working urgently to confirm their welfare and provide assistance to those affected.” Wong said the government would send an initial team of three humanitarian response specialists “within the next 48 hours’” to help Australian staff already on the ground.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
