In Kathmandu, Nepal, Jony Raval’s phone is incessantly buzzing with calls from family back home, eager for updates on his search. After arriving just two hours ago, he emphasized, “I didn’t come here to be part of a story; I came to honor a promise to my sister to find her husband.”
Jony, who has gone nearly a week without sleep, is on a mission to locate his brother-in-law, Bhavinkumar Raval, one of 38 Australians unaccounted for following devastating floods in the Nepal-Tibet border area. Bhavinkumar had been on a pilgrimage to the revered Kailash Mansarovar with two friends, Karan Bhardwaj and Arpan Kothari.
In Brisbane, Jony’s sister, Aarti Raval, has devoted countless hours to piecing together her husband’s whereabouts during the calamity. She has scoured social media, photos, and videos for any clues that might lead to his last known position.
Aarti managed to find an image of one of Bhavinkumar’s companions taken on the morning of the floods, showing him on a muddy road in a steep valley surrounded by verdant hills. Bhavinkumar was part of a group of 26 foreign travelers, including six Australians, along with guides from Nepal, exploring the area with Kailash Journeys.
According to a statement from the tour agency, the last known communication with the group occurred at 7:30 AM in Timure, shortly before the floods devastated the region about an hour later. Aarti believes this information helps pinpoint where her husband might have been.
Utilizing Google Maps, she identified a specific stretch of the Pasang Lhamu Highway, enveloped by dense forest and steep cliffs. “Bhavin is likely still trapped in that muddy area just above the immigration office, where no rescue efforts have been initiated,” she expressed. “I just want someone to deploy a helicopter to search the bush area and rescue those who are stranded.”
For Aarti and the other families, each piece of information is critical. They have spent the last week analyzing videos from the disaster site, survivor testimonies, immigration records, and lists of the missing to reconstruct events leading up to the flood.
While some details remain unverified, for families seeking closure, even minor updates can feel like a glimmer of hope. Aarti has shared her findings with Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, but has felt unsupported in their response. “I’m not sure if they’re investigating my request; I feel like I haven’t received any assistance from them,” she lamented.
She has also reached out to Nepal’s police but noted a lack of progress. “I had to send my brother from India to Kathmandu, and at least he is actively searching for him now,” she said. “Having someone on the ground looking for my husband gives me some hope.”
This is now Jony’s responsibility. Armed with the information gathered by Aarti, he intends to visit the Kailash Journeys office in Kathmandu, followed by Nepal’s immigration authorities and the Chinese embassy. His most pressing question remains unanswered: which side of the border were the three men on when the floods occurred?
Jony expressed frustration over the insufficient information coming from China, complicating the search. In response to the situation, the Australian government has stated that its officials in Beijing and Canberra are “engaging with Chinese authorities” to gather more information on the Australians involved in this tragedy.
Reports indicate that Mr. Raval, Mr. Bhardwaj, and Mr. Kothari are not among the six Australians listed as missing on the Chinese side of the border. Jony is not alone in his quest; other family members of missing Australians have also traveled to Kathmandu seeking answers, including the husbands of Reshma Patel and Sumi Adhikari, as well as relatives of the Iyer family.
Bhavin Patel, another concerned husband, stated he would not leave Nepal without finding his wife. Rava Pandey, husband of Ms. Adhikari, has accepted the grim reality and plans to begin final rites soon. Many families have voiced their concerns about the speed and effectiveness of the search and rescue operations during the crucial early days following the disaster.
The Nepali government has faced criticism for initially declining offers of international search-and-rescue assistance. Nepal’s Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Dr. Bikram Timilsina, defended the government’s response, explaining that the complexities of such disasters require careful consideration of how international aid can be most effective. “It’s not an easy task, and we must understand the geography and cultural factors involved,” he stated, adding that help was sought once authorities identified where it would be most beneficial.
