Almost a month after devastating floods struck Nepal on August 26, families are still waiting for answers as more than 30 Australians remain unaccounted for.

Sarada Viswanathan, the partner of missing Australian Rishab Iyer, is calling for Australian authorities to make greater use of specialist equipment and physically search areas that may otherwise be difficult to access.

“We need more personnel sent over to Nepal to do targeted searches for the Australians,” she tells Draw Your Box.

Sarada says a phone ping recorded after the disaster is one of the pieces of information giving her and other loved ones a reason to continue looking for Rishab, his parents Sreedharan and Lakshmi, and younger brother, Rudhra who travelled to Nepal as part of a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash. All four remain unaccounted for. 

“We have a phone ping from the day after the flood which is a major sign of life. We need to search in the forest regions both on foot and via thermal drones and other specialised equipment.”

The Sydney-based woman has been trying to establish what happened to Iyer and his family since communications were lost following the disaster.

Draw Your Box understands many loved ones back in Australia have been assigned designated officers who serve as a direct point of contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Sarada says “we need more information about what search operations are being conducted and where”. 

“Time is running out, but we know that they can survive months on only water. We cannot give up on these families.”

In a statement provided to Draw Your Box on Friday September 18, a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said: “The Australian Government holds grave concerns for 34 unaccounted Australians and continues to provide dedicated support to their next of kin.

“Accounting for missing Australians remains our highest priority. We understand this is a very difficult time for the next of kin.” 

Up until now, Australia has committed $11 million to support disaster response and recovery efforts, with support comprising consular, AFP, social workers, Defence, NEMA, search and rescue and Australia Assists personnel.  

Official disaster figures from Nepal as of September 18 confirmed 1,403 deaths with 6,150 persons missing. Official disaster figures from China confirmed 43 deaths with 519 people missing. Neither Nepal nor China had confirmed that any Australians are among the deceased.

As loved ones in Australia now continue to wait, they ask for every possible lead to be followed and for no potential sign of life to be overlooked. “They have entire lives ahead of them,” says Sarada, “and so many people back home are waiting and praying for their return”.

Top Image – Pictured: Rishab Iyer, his parents Sreedharan and Lakshmi, and younger brother, Rudhra, Source: Supplied