E-Paper
Karnataka techie living in Australia missing after Nepal floods, last seen at border
Rakesh Nayak, who had travelled to Mansarovar as part of a package tour organised by the Isha Foundation, was last known to be near the Nepal-China border.
Prefer HTon Google
A 45-year-old software engineer from Karnataka who has been living in Australia for the past decade is among those reported missing after flash floods struck Nepal.
Rakesh Nayak, who had travelled to Mansarovar as part of a package tour organised by the Isha Foundation, was last known to be near the Nepal-China border, according to his family, news agency PTI reported.
Deep Dive
His father, Shivaprasad, a retired railway officer, said Nayak arrived at an immigration office near the border at around 9.10 pm on August 26. About 20 minutes later, flash floods swept through the area.
"He was inside the office when the floods came. That is the information we have received. After that, there has been no communication," Shivaprasad told reporters.
The family was initially told that Nayak and the others were safe, but they have since been unable to contact him.
Shivaprasad said his last conversation with his son took place on August 12, when Nayak called from Delhi before beginning the tour. Nayak was using a different SIM card to communicate with his wife because his regular SIM was not working in the region.
Also Read: From Tamil Nadu to West Bengal, appeals for contact as Nepal floods cut off 290 Indians
His last communication with his wife was on August 25, his father said.
The family has since contacted the Indian Embassy and other officials in an effort to establish Nayak's whereabouts.
"An IFS officer has contacted the officer at the China border. We are in direct contact with the Embassy officer. Everyone is trying, but we are not getting any communication or information about what happened," Shivaprasad said.
The Isha Foundation is also attempting to locate the missing people. According to Shivaprasad, the foundation had received information that its representatives were travelling towards the affected building to check on the situation.
"As of now, they are missing," he said.
Nayak is among at least 13 people from Karnataka who are stranded in Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region, according to the office of Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. Eleven of those people are from Bengaluru Urban district.
Death toll rises to 469
The situation has become more intense as Nepal and China warned on Friday of further flooding risks, complicating efforts to locate more than 1,400 people reported missing after a deadly combination of flooding and landslides swept through villages along their remote Himalayan border, news agency AFP reported.
Many of those missing are foreign tourists, including trekkers in Nepal and scores of Hindu pilgrims who had travelled to Tibet's sacred, snow-capped Mount Kailash.
The United States Geological Survey said the disaster was triggered by a glacial collapse, which sent a massive flow of icy debris through the affected region, AFP reported.
The disaster has also renewed concerns over the risks associated with a warming climate. Glaciers are melting worldwide as a result of climate change, increasing the threat of glacial lake floods and glacial collapses.
The death toll from the flash flood in Nepal had risen to 469 by Friday, according to Nepal police.
For Nayak's family, however, the immediate concern remains finding out what happened to him after communication stopped following the floods near the Nepal-China border.
(With inputs from agencies)
