Durban mother to travel to Nepal in search of missing daughter
Durban resident Linda Govender will travel to Nepal on Thursday to search for her daughter, Terricia, who went missing after a flash flood in the Bhote Koshi River area in Rasuwa District. Terricia, who works as a data analyst, is one of six South African citizens reported missing after the disaster on the Nepal-Tibet border.
According to TimesLIVE, Terricia embarked on a 13- to 14-day pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar to mark her 33rd birthday. The trip was organized by the spiritual organization Isha Foundation; the group included about 70 people from different countries.
Missing near the border
After the trip to Mount Kailash, the group was at the Gyirung immigration center at the border when major landslides and flash floods occurred in the region. According to the publication, torrents flooded settlements and damaged bridges, roads and buildings.
Govender decided to travel despite warnings about dangerous conditions and possible further floods. She said she had been in contact with South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation and the Isha Foundation, but had received no positive news. The woman also distributed posters asking people to report any information about her daughter and the other missing people.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Terricia is considered missing along with married couple Surendranath Maharaj and Anita Devi Maharaj, as well as Vivaganathan Pillay and Janet Pillay from Ladysmith. Bavika Ramji from the town of KuGompo in the Eastern Cape province is also missing; at the time of the flood, she was travelling near the border as part of another group.
Data on the consequences of the disaster
As of Wednesday, authorities reported about 1,050 deaths in Nepal and nearly 4,000 people whose whereabouts had not been established. Officials suggested that many people could be under debris left by torrents in towns and valleys near the Chinese border.
Rescuers were also searching for people whom authorities believed may have remained in tunnels at several hydroelectric power plants. A total of 279 people were rescued from the ruins of such facilities, while at least 639 others were considered missing. Panindra Paudel, a representative of Nepal's National Emergency Centre, said hope of finding survivors was diminishing.
