Two Sydney families sought after flooding in Nepal
A week after the catastrophic flooding in Nepal, there is still no contact with four members of the Iyer family from Sydney — Rishabh, his brother Rudhra, and their parents Sridharan and Lakshmi. They were in Nepal on a Hindu pilgrimage. Rishabh’s partner, 23-year-old Sarada Viswanathan, has organized independent online searches, ABC News Australia reports.
The family was staying at the Royal Himalaya Hotel & Lodge near a river that flooded the surrounding area. Viswanathan is checking the Find My iPhone and Life360 geolocation services. According to her, Rishabh’s last recorded location was near the hotel, while his brother’s was slightly farther up the highway.
Call to strengthen the search
The Iyers’ relatives are already in Nepal and are passing on available information to Viswanathan. At the same time, access to the disaster zone on foot is difficult. Viswanathan created a petition calling on Australian authorities to deploy military personnel for search-and-rescue operations.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
She also believes that the Australian government could help with ground patrols, helicopter searches and drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras. Australia has allocated 8 million for humanitarian aid supplies and sent an 18-member crisis team, including consular staff and Australian Federal Police officers. Australia’s Foreign Ministry said it continues to offer Nepalese authorities assistance with search and rescue efforts, but the offer has not yet been accepted.
The Sharma family is also out of contact
Another Sydney family, the Sharmas, who were travelling with the Iyers on the same pilgrimage, was staying at the same hotel. There is still no contact with Krishna and Umesh Sharma. Their 23-year-old son, Chitrak Sharma, flew to India and is south of Delhi, from where he is deciding whether to travel on to Nepal.
Rishabh Iyer and his brother Rudhra studied medicine and played cricket for the West Pennant Hills club. Rishabh was due to begin work as an intern doctor at Gosford Hospital next year. Those close to the missing people also reported racist comments on social media questioning their Australian identity.
