Cara Severino, 26, was trekking in Langtang national park on 27/8 when flash floods struck. After two days without contact, on the morning of 29/8, she called her parents, Debbie and Frank Severino.
The family stated Cara was stranded at Kyangjia Gompa, then hiked with other mountaineers to Gosainkunda lake, and is now attempting to walk back to Kathmandu.
"We are eagerly awaiting more information about her safe return. Thank God she contacted the family," Cara’s father said.
As of 30/8, Nepali authorities reported over 680 fatalities, with approximately 3,000 people still missing in Nepal and the Tibet region (China), including at least 38 Australian citizens and 90 US citizens. More than 7,500 people have been rescued.
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Cara Severino, the Australian tourist, fortunately escaped death in the Nepal flash floods. *News*.
Many other Australian citizens remain unaccounted for, including Michael Keats, 37; the couple Shylaja and Chandrasekaran Muralitharan and their two sons; and Reshma Patel, 46, reportedly at the Nepal - Tibet border immigration office minutes before the disaster. Families of the victims reported losing contact since the morning of 27/8 and are actively seeking information; some have flown directly to Nepal.
"There is still hope, and we are clinging to it with everything we have," Karen Hayley, Michael Keats' sister, wrote on social media.
The Red Cross warned that nearly 100,000 people were affected by the disaster. David Fisher, head of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Nepal, stated that at least 93,000 people require assistance. "The disaster caused immense psychological trauma," he said.
On 30/8, residents in some flood-affected villages returned home to search for remaining belongings, sometimes finding only a pair of mud-covered sandals.
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Residents in Devighat village, Nuwakot district, returned home to retrieve belongings after the flash floods on 27/8. *AP*.
In Nuwakot, one of the heavily damaged areas, helicopters began transporting relief packages and bags containing clothes, instant noodles, biscuits, and rice. Some survivors were taken to Mathaili Barrack military base, which is now the main assembly point for air evacuations from flood-devastated areas.
By Anh Minh (via ABC, News)
