Following the devastating floods that struck Nepal and Tibet last week, 23-year-old Sarada Viswanathan remains determined to locate her partner, Rishab Iyer, who is also 23 and has been unaccounted for since the disaster.
“This experience has been nothing short of hell for us,” she shared with the 7.30 program.
Rishab was in Nepal with his family on a pilgrimage when the incident occurred, and his parents and brother have also not been heard from since last Wednesday.
“The lack of information has made this incredibly challenging. We are constantly worried about their well-being—whether they have access to food, water, or if they have sustained injuries,” she expressed.
Ms. Viswanathan has initiated a grassroots search effort from her home in north-west Sydney, utilizing location tracking applications and searching for any information that could help locate the missing Australians.
“We have been using Find My iPhone and Life360 to track their last known locations,” she noted. “The most recent information we have for Rishab is from outside the hotel where they were staying, and his brother’s last known location was a bit further up the highway.”
The Iyer family had been lodging at the Royal Himalaya Hotel & Lodge, situated near the river that caused the floods. “We are holding onto hope that they found a safe spot to escape to and that they are simply in a remote area where communication is not possible,” Ms. Viswanathan added.
Relatives of the Iyer family are currently in Nepal, providing Ms. Viswanathan with any updates they can gather. However, access to the disaster-stricken region has proven difficult, prompting her to launch a petition urging the Australian government to deploy defense personnel for search and rescue operations.
According to reports, Australia has allocated $8 million in aid and sent a crisis response team comprising 18 members, which includes consular staff and Australian Federal Police. Ms. Viswanathan believes that the government should extend its assistance to include ground patrols, helicopter searches, and the use of thermal drones.
“When a family member is missing, you will do everything in your power to find them. We are grateful for the financial aid and humanitarian support, but we are hoping for actual personnel to assist on the ground,” she stated.
Despite offers of rescue assistance from Australia, Nepal has so far declined external help. A spokesperson from the Department of Foreign Affairs stated, “The Australian government is continuing to offer search and rescue support to Nepali officials, but this assistance has not been accepted.” They are working with telecommunications companies to aid in the search and recovery efforts, particularly to ascertain the whereabouts of Australians who remain missing.
In a personal context, Ms. Viswanathan and Mr. Iyer have been friends since childhood and both are medical students in Sydney. Rishab was expected to begin a new role as an intern doctor at Gosford Hospital next year. “My search will never cease,” she vowed. “I will keep looking for him until we receive confirmation, and I know that none of us will give up hope.”
Mr. Iyer and his brother, Rudhra, who is 20, are passionate cricketers and have played for West Pennant Hills. Their parents, Lakshmi and Sreedharan, are well-regarded members of Sydney’s Indian community, having run a childcare business.
John Kurian, 23, has been a close friend of Rishab since high school. “We have played cricket together since 2018 and have faced the disappointment of losing four grand finals,” he reminisced. “We always joked that we needed to win a championship together. He has always been our top player, leading both verbally and through his performance.” Mr. Kurian is now supporting Ms. Viswanathan’s efforts. “I am here because he is like a brother to me. Rishab and Rudhra are my brothers, and their parents are like my own. They are out there somewhere. Perhaps they are unreachable due to being stuck or because communication networks are down. The least we can do is to mobilize more people to assist in the search.”
Meanwhile, the Iyer family was staying at the same hotel as another family from Sydney, the Sharmas, who were also on the pilgrimage. Both families share a close bond. Chitrak Sharma, 23, was in Sydney when he learned about the floods in Nepal. His parents, Krishna and Umesh, remain missing. “They are truly generous Australians who have always contributed positively to the community,” Mr. Sharma said. “Initially, I tried to call them, but there was no response. I tried reaching out to others who might have been with them, but I couldn’t get through. At first, I didn’t take it too seriously, thinking it was unlikely they could be in danger.”
Deciding to take action, Mr. Sharma flew to India and is now near Delhi, contemplating whether to proceed to Nepal. “After four days without clear information, I felt compelled to come here, anticipating I might need to head to Nepal soon,” he explained. “I am currently on standby here in India with my extended family.”
While remaining hopeful, Mr. Sharma is also preparing for the worst. “I’ve brought some DNA samples with me, just in case, but I am trying not to dwell on that right now,” he said. “My hope is to find them safe.”
In the midst of their distress, some family members of the missing have reported encountering racial comments on social media that question their Australian identity. “It’s been quite disheartening to see a lot of racially charged remarks directed at the families involved,” they lamented.
