Brisbane father and Royal Australian Air Force member Karan Bhardwaj is among the Australians still missing following the catastrophic Nepal-China floods, as families travel to the disaster zone in search of their loved ones.
Bhardwaj, 40, was travelling to Mount Kailash with the Kailash Journeys group when the floods struck on Wednesday morning. His last known location was near the Gyirong Immigration Centre on the Nepal-Tibet border.
His family said they had received no word from Bhardwaj or his travelling companions, Arpan Mithalal Kothari and Bhavin Raval, since the disaster.
“Karan is an Australian, a proud member of the Australian Defence Force and a beloved father of one, brother, uncle, brother-in-law and friend to many,” his family told Channel 7.
“We are desperately waiting for news and praying with everything we have that Karan and his friends are safe and that they will be brought home.”
The family’s appeal came as Australian hiker Cara Severino was safely located by consular officials, providing a rare moment of relief during a disaster that has left thousands of families awaiting news.
Officials reached the 26-year-old NSW woman on Saturday after travelling by four-wheel-drive from Kathmandu to an accessible checkpoint along her trekking route.
Severino had been completing the multi-day Langtang trek when she became stranded at Kyanjin Gompa. She contacted her family on Friday after leaving the isolated area with a group of Nepali hikers.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she spoke directly with Severino after officials reached her.
“Cara Severino has been safely located by Australian consular officials in Nepal,” Wong said.
“I spoke directly with her a short time ago and am very pleased to know she is safe. This is a rare piece of positive news amid a disaster that has brought immense loss and uncertainty.”
Severino thanked the people who helped her leave the area, naming Sudha, Lucas, Samir and Saugat as members of the group she formed after entering the national park.
“Thanks to them I got out safely,” she said.
She also described encountering a local man whose entire family had been killed when the floods destroyed their town.
“It’s just so devastating and undeserving,” she said. “I feel for the families of those still missing. I know how much my family and friends went through.”
She said she felt “blessed to be from Australia” and thanked the Australian Embassy and government for their support.
The number of Australians unaccounted for has continued to change as families report missing travellers and officials establish who was in the affected region. The ABC reported Sunday morning that 42 Australians were still missing.
Wong said Australian officials remained gravely concerned for those whose welfare had not been confirmed.
“While this is a welcome development, there remain grave concerns for the other Australians who remain unaccounted for, and our officials are continuing to work closely with local authorities to locate and assist those affected,” she said.
Relatives of one missing Australian family have arrived in Nepal and joined the search for information. Four brothers spoke to Australian media from an army camp at Bidur, where helicopters were reportedly arriving about every 10 minutes carrying injured and shaken survivors from communities upstream.
Among those unaccounted for are Sydney couple Shylaja and Chandrasekaran Muralitharan and their sons Ashwin, 14, and Aarush, 11. They were travelling with a Himalayan Glacier Adventures pilgrimage group when contact was lost.
Other families have also travelled to Nepal. Sydney man Nava Pandey flew to the country in search of his wife, Sumi Adhikari, 41, who had completed a Mount Kailash pilgrimage with an Isha Foundation group. Early reports that she had been located proved incorrect.
Rescuers are working across steep mountain valleys where roads, bridges and communications infrastructure have been destroyed. Helicopters are evacuating survivors and delivering supplies to isolated communities.
At least 676 people have been confirmed dead across Nepal and Tibet, while close to 3,000 remain missing, according to the latest Associated Press figures. More than 3,700 people have been rescued in Nepal.
Authorities are also trying to reach more than 100 workers feared trapped inside a mud-blocked tunnel at the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project.
Wong said she had spoken with Nepal’s Foreign Minister, Shisir Khanal, to convey Australia’s condolences and offer further help.
“I affirmed that Australia stands ready to provide further humanitarian assistance, including to aid rescue and recovery efforts, as we work to confirm the welfare of those missing,” she said.
Australia has committed $5 million in humanitarian assistance and deployed additional consular officers and disaster-response specialists to Nepal.
Australians requiring emergency consular assistance can contact DFAT’s Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135 from Australia or +61 2 6261 3305 from overseas.
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