Australian families fly to Kathmandu to hunt for relatives lost in border floods

The June floods that hit the Nepal-Tibet border region destroyed roads and cut off villages, leaving 38 Australians, including Bhavinkumar Raval, Karan Bhardwaj and Arpan Kothari, unaccounted for during a sacred pilgrimage. Aarti Raval, his wife, has spent days analyzing photos, videos and social-media clues, narrowing the likely location to a mud-filled section of the Pasang Lhamu Highway near the Gyirong immigration checkpoint.

Frustrated by what she describes as a lack of response from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Nepal Police, she sent her brother Jony from Gujarat to Kathmandu to conduct a personal search. Jony plans to meet representatives from Kailash Journeys, Nepalese immigration and the Chinese embassy to determine which side of the border the men were on when the waters rose. Several other Australian relatives, such as the husbands of Reshma Patel and Sumi Adhikari, have also arrived, urging authorities to deploy helicopters and troops into the remote terrain. The Nepalese government, after initial hesitation, has begun coordinating rescue flights, while the Australian government says it is liaising with Chinese officials for any information they may hold.