Six South Africans remain missing after devastating flash floods and landslides struck the Nepal-Tibet border, with families anxiously awaiting news as rescue teams continue searching through vast amounts of mud and debris.
The disaster has claimed hundreds of lives, with Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority reporting that the death toll had risen to 538 by Friday. A further 977 people remained missing in Nepal, while five people were reported dead and hundreds more missing on the Tibetan side of the border.
The disaster was triggered by a massive glacier and bedrock collapse in the Himalayas on Wednesday, unleashing a torrent of water, ice, rocks and mud into river systems along the Nepal-Tibet border.
Entire villages were swept away, while roads and bridges were destroyed, leaving rescue teams struggling to reach isolated communities.
Among those still unaccounted for are six South Africans who were travelling in the region, several of them on pilgrimage or trekking trips.
The six have been identified as Ladysmith couple Surendranath Maharaj, 74, and his wife, Anita Devi Maharaj, 67; East London resident Bavila Ramjee, 43; South African couple Vivaganathan Pillay, 66, and Janet Pillay, 56; and 33-year-old Terricia Govender from Isipingo Beach, Durban.
Govender was in Nepal on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash when the floods struck. Her family was informed that she was among those missing after the disaster.
Her mother, Linda Govender, said the family had last spoken to Terricia while she was shopping and sightseeing.
“After a while, she went back to her hotel to sleep. We were meant to speak again yesterday, but she never called,” she said.
The family initially believed the lack of communication was caused by poor cellphone reception.
“I waited but thought that the signal was just bad. At 2.30pm, we got an email from the foundation saying she was part of the group which was at the border and was now missing,” Govender said.
“That is all the information we have received. We know nothing else.”
Terricia had travelled alone but was part of a larger tour group associated with the Isha Foundation, which was returning from the Mount Kailash Yatra when the disaster struck.
The other missing South Africans were also travelling in the affected border region. The Maharaj couple were on the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage route, while Ramjee was travelling between Timure and the Rasuvaghadi border. The Pillays were travelling with the Alpine Eco Trek & Expedition group.
Rescue operation
Rescue teams have been using helicopters, heavy machinery and sniffer dogs to search for survivors and people trapped beneath mud and debris.
However, the operation has been hampered by destroyed roads and bridges, swollen rivers and unstable terrain. Authorities have also warned of the risk of further flooding after a lake formed by debris began threatening to overflow.
The latest figures indicate that thousands of people have been rescued, while thousands of security personnel have been deployed to affected areas.
Gift of the Givers founder Imtiaz Sooliman said the organisation was ready to assist with the search for the missing South Africans.
The organisation has 11 urban search-and-rescue specialists, four South African Police Service dog handlers and four dogs on standby.
“Helicopter surveillance is the only means of access as all roads have been destroyed,” Sooliman said.
“Landing is not possible as there is no solid ground given the height of the water level.”
Sooliman said he was in contact with Nepalese disaster management officials and that the South African embassy was prepared to process visas should international assistance be formally requested.
Families await answers
For the families of the six South Africans, the rescue operation has become a desperate wait for information.
Gift of the Givers has released photographs and details of all six missing South Africans as efforts to locate them continue.
The disaster has affected nationals from several countries, including India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Malaysia and Canada. Many of those missing were tourists, trekkers and Hindu pilgrims travelling to Mount Kailash.
Authorities have warned that the numbers are likely to change as rescue teams reach remote areas and verify the whereabouts of people previously reported missing.
For the six South African families, however, the priority remains finding their loved ones alive.
As rescue crews continue to search the devastated mountain region, families thousands of kilometres away are left waiting for the call that could finally tell them whether their relatives have survived.
Additional reporting AFP