JUST 10 MINUTES BEFORE THE FLOODS: The Final Known Moments of Australian Mum Renee Spry Before She Vanished
Fears are growing for an Australian mum caught up in the devastating floods in Nepal.
The family of Renee Spry say they have not heard from her since the disaster struck on Wednesday.
The 51-year-old Queenslander had just crossed the Nepal-Tibet border a mere 10 minutes before raging floodwaters suddenly swept over the Gyirong border port.
The area was one of the hardest hit, with footage after the disaster showing the area completely flattened.
The Sunshine Coast woman was returning from a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a popular tourist site that holds great significance in Hinduism and Buddhism.
She is one of 43 Australians who are currently missing after the catastrophic floods hit the region last week including NSW man Michael Keats.
Nearly 800 people have been confirmed dead and an estimated 3000 people remain missing.
Ms Spry’s sister, Clair Spry, has set up a GoFundMe page to get the missing mum’s family over to Nepal.
Ms Spry’s partner of 15 years, Shaun, wants to travel to the area to help in the search, and the couple’s daughters, Lily and Ruby, aged in their twenties, do not want their dad to go alone, according toThe Guardian.
The Sunshine Coast mother is still missing. Picture: GoFundMe
“Our beloved sister Renee is still missing from the Tibet-Nepal border,” the GoFundMe post reads.
“She was on her way home from a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and last heard from in the immigration building at the Gyirong port at the time of the disaster.
“We continue to pray for her, the Nepalese people and those also still to return to the safety their homes and families.
“We would love to try help ease some of the stress for her partner Shaun and their amazing daughters Lily and Ruby.
“Especially as they try to navigate how to possibly get to the area over the next few weeks or even how they can help others there.”
Australian comedian Christian Hull shared Ms Spry’s GoFundMe to his social media pages, stating that his cousin is close friends with the missing mum.
“I’m very close with my beautiful family and I just received a devastating text from my cousin telling me her close friends who she has grown up with is currently missing in Nepal,” Mr Hull shared to his 2.8 million followers on Facebook.
“Her name is Renee. Early 50s. We are after any information. Her husband Shaun is in the process of trying to get over to Nepal.
“Renee and all those affected by this horrible disaster are in my thoughts.
“I”m hoping not only for the safe return of the… missing Australians but for all those families missing their loved ones.”
Her family are appealing for any information. Picture: GoFundMe
Foreign Affairs Assistant Minister Matt Thistlethwaite said authorities remained hopeful of rescuing the 43 Australians still unaccounted for and returning them home safely.
One of those people, 26-year-old solo traveller Cara Severino, has been found safe and sound so far.
“Our embassy staff in Kathmandu are working around the clock, and we’ve actually sent an additional 12 personnel to Kathmandu to assist,” Mr Thistlethwaite said.
A drone view of the aftermath of flash flooding along the Trishuli river, Nepal. Picture: AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh
“Yesterday, our ambassador in Kathmandu spent most of the day sitting with and talking to the relatives of Australians who are in the region, hoping their loved ones will be returned safely. So we’re doing everything we can to try and locate them.”
It is understood that Ms Spry was with a group of 11 Australians linked to the Isha Foundation, a non-profit organisation with origins in yoga and Hinduism.
Houses along the Trishuli riverline lie deluged in sludge in the aftermath of flash floods. Picture: Prabin RAnabhat/AFP
The Australians, which include Sydney father-of-two Bharat Mangwani and Epping-based Sydney couple Uday and Kripa Shivamurthy, were among a multinational group of 92 pilgrims.
On Sunday, The Trekkers Society staff took a helicopter ride over the site where their tour group was last seen.
“The helicopter could not land in the affected area because of the difficult conditions,” a spokesman said.
“Therefore, the team carried out aerial surveillance from the helicopter to check the area around the Nepal side of the Nepal-China immigration border. We are continuing our efforts to collect clear and verified information about the situation.”
– with NewsWire
