The miraculous call from a 26-year-old Australian woman in Nepal: Her family speaks out with the latest update on her condition
As families across Australia wait anxiously in the aftermath of devastating flash floods across Nepal and Tibet to hear back from loved ones, the number of those missing continues to rise.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed the number of missing Australians has risen to 39, up from 35 on Thursday, though one Sydney local has managed to contact her family to confirm she is safe.
Uday and Kripa Shivamurthy are missing after floods hit a Nepal-China border crossing point. Navya Nataraj
“The extraordinary scale of this disaster and the remoteness of the affected region mean immense challenges lie ahead for the response and recovery,” the statement read.
She also confirmed that Australia will send personnel to aid the recovery effort in the next 48 hours.
The official death toll has risen to 469 people, according to the Nepali Police, and more than 1400 people remain missing in the disaster zone.
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What we know about the missing Australians
Amid the tense wait, there was a major sigh of relief for one Sydney family on Friday morning.
Cara Severino, 26, made brief contact with her parents to confirm she is safe. She had been hiking the Langtang Trek when the disaster struck and managed to reach the town of Gosainkunda alongside a group of Nepalese hikers.
“We understand that they are attempting to reach Kathmandu on foot,” her parents said in a statement.
Cara Severino, 26, made contact with her parents on Friday morning while hiking in a disaster struck region of Nepal. Supplied
“We praise God that she has been able to make this brief contact with us.”
In total, 32 of the missing Australians were participating in organised tours: 15 with Himalayan Glacier Adventure and Travel Kailash Group, six with Kailash Journeys, and 11 on a pilgrimage with the Isha Foundation.
The affected groups included international travellers alongside local staff.
Among the unaccounted-for Australians are two teenage brothers, Aarush and Ashwin Muralitharan, aged just 11 and 14.
Aarush and Ashwin Muralitharan remain unaccounted for in Nepal. Supplied
It was learned on Friday that the siblings have been travelling with their parents as part of a 15-person Australian contingent on a Himalayan Glacier tour.
The family’s neighbours, Sam and Shy Ghosh, told 9News that unread text messages to the boys’ parents, Chandrasekara and Shylaja, are keeping them awake at night.
“I still feel that if they reached higher ground, someone will be there to rescue them. Until that time, I won’t give up hope,” Shy said.
Meanwhile, fears are also growing for Michael Keats, a hiker from Mollymook on the NSW South Coast, who also remains unaccounted-for.
“His whole family is very concerned,” friend Jamie Lepre told 9News.
Melbourne couple Sandeep Mohapatra and Sidharthi Kumari Sahu, who moved to Australia in 2018, were last tracked to an immigration centre near the Nepal-China border, according to Nine newspapers, and have not been heard from since.
Their friend Manu Nayak said the pair had been travelling in the area before communications were lost.
Michael Keats, from NSW’s south coast, also remains missing following the devastating flash flood. Supplied
He told called the situation was “extremely challenging and difficult”.
Among the missing pilgrims is Melbourne father Kumar Sampath, 61, whose son told the Sydney Morning Herald he is a “hardworking, successful entrepreneur”.
“[He] came to Australia with nothing and provided his family with everything they wanted,” Kumar’s son Mani said.
“He loved hiking, nature and recently retired and wanted to explore his faith.”
Among those caught in the same border zone are Sydney couple Uday and Kripa Shivamurthy, who were returning from a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash.
Kumar Sampath ran an engineering business specialising in railways before his retirement. The Age
Their niece, Navya Nataraj, told CNN the regular trekkers last sent photos and videos at 9.05 am while waiting to cross into Nepal, just 10 minutes before the flash floods struck.
Nataraj described the family as distraught, though the couple’s two young-adult sons are holding on to hope.
She emphasised the critical urgency of search efforts, noting that recovering their parents’ bodies is essential for the family to perform traditional Hindu last rites.
‘They’re all I have’: Families fear the worst
Umesh and Krishnam Sharma’s son Chitrak Sharma told 9News on Thursday that his parents headed to the country for a pilgrimage.
The pair is also among the missing Australians.
“They were very excited that they got the opportunity,” Chitrak said.
Umesh and Krishna Sharma were taking a pilgrimage to Nepal. Supplied
“It hadn’t started yet. Last I knew, they were at the border. I’ve just been trying to get in contact with them … trying to get updates on their whereabouts.
“I’ve been calling hospitals. I just want to find my parents. They’re all I have, really.”
Chitrak dropped his parents off at the airport last week. The last time he spoke to his mother was two days ago, right before the mountain collapsed.
“I said bye to them and I didn’t think it was the last time I was ever going to see them,” he said.
“I would do anything just to bring them home.”
Chitrak dropped his parents off at the airport last week and told 9News he is desperate to hear from them. Supplied
The Sharma’s were travelling with close family friends, the Iyers: Sreedharan, 52, Lakshmi, 50, Rishab, 23, and Rudhra, 20.
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It was their first time undertaking the sacred Hindu pilgrimage.
“We grew up together, and the fact that we’re uncertain of where they are or how they are is really, really scary,” Chitrak said.
The Iyer family also remain unaccounted for while a Himalayan Glacier tour. Supplied
The West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook Cricket Club confirmed the Iyer brothers were members.
“Rishab and Rudhra Iyer are talented cricketers and long term valued members of our club,” operations director Ross Anderson told nine.com.au.
Anderson said they were holding out hope the brothers and their parents would be found safe.
Brisbane father-of-two Narayan Panthi was also on tour with them and his family friend, Amrit Bhusal, told 9News they have been trying to get in contact with him.
“We tried to contact his family and friends over in Nepal,” Bhusal said.
The Iyer family from Sydney have put together missing posters to be plastered around the disaster zone in the hope that someone on the ground finds them.
Many of the missing Australians were travelling through the rugged border region as part of a sacred 10-day pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, a journey revered for offering spiritual salvation.
SOURCE: 9 NEWS
https://www.nine.com.au/world-news/asia/i-just-want-to-find-my-parents-what-we-know-about-the-missing-australians-in-nepal-20260828-p60sec.html
