34 Australians still missing 10 weeks after Nepal's devastating August floods
More than 34 Australians remain unaccounted for 10 weeks after catastrophic August floods in Nepal that killed 1,459 people.
The August 26 floods in Nepal wiped away entire villages and caught people at remote border sites. Among 5,285 people still unaccounted for are over 700 foreigners.
Among them are 34 Australians. One was Gopi Agastya from Sydney.
He was on pilgrimage with the Isha Foundation when the flood hit. His wife Nikhila still fields daily questions from their two young daughters about when he will come home.
Nepal's government ended its official search-and-rescue operation in October. It moved to a search-and-rehabilitation phase.
DNA testing to identify remains is slow. Only 112 bodies have been matched and returned to families so far.
Governments are working with Nepal to issue death certificates. But most families have had no concrete answers.
- 34
- Australians missing
- 1,459
- Death toll
- 5,285
- Total unaccounted for
- 112
- Bodies identified
Why it mattersProlonged limbo for families of missing people, complicated by Nepal's slow identification process and shift from active search to recovery mode.
AustraliaDirect impact on 34 Australian families; raises questions about Australian government support for citizens in missing-person crises abroad.
