September 01, Colombo (LNW): A family of four with roots in Sri Lanka is among a group of Australian nationals whose whereabouts remain unknown following devastating floods and landslides in the Himalayan region bordering Nepal and Tibet.
Chandrasekaran Muralitharan, 47, his wife Shylaja, 42, and their two sons, Ashwin, 14, and Aarush, 11, had been travelling as part of a Himalayan Glacier Adventures pilgrimage group when communications with them were cut off.
The family, based in north-western Sydney, had travelled to the Mount Kailash region as part of a pilgrimage that was particularly significant to Shylaja. Chandrasekaran is from Kopay in Jaffna, and both parents are first-generation Sri Lankan migrants to Australia. Their sons were born in Australia and are part of the country’s Tamil diaspora.
The family was understood to have been in the region when severe flooding struck on 26 August. According to relatives, their final conversation with the family took place that morning, when they were preparing for breakfast ahead of a journey towards the border to complete immigration procedures.
Attempts to make contact afterwards were unsuccessful. Floodwaters and landslides reportedly damaged roads, disrupted electricity and knocked out communications across the affected areas, making it difficult for families and authorities to establish the whereabouts of travellers.
The Muralitharans were among a tour party that included 15 Australian citizens. The group was reportedly in the vicinity of Rasuwagadhi, near the Nepal-China border, when the disaster unfolded.
Australian authorities subsequently said that 43 Australians remained unaccounted for in the aftermath of the flooding. A significant number were believed to be pilgrims travelling through Nepal towards Tibet on journeys connected with Mount Kailash.
The disaster has caused widespread devastation across the mountainous border region and has emerged as one of the most serious flood emergencies to hit the Himalayas in recent years.
For the Muralitharan family, however, the wider scale of the disaster has taken a back seat to the urgent search for their loved ones. Relatives have been contacting government officials, local authorities and the tour operator in the hope of receiving news.
Shylaja’s sister told Australian media that the family remained hopeful that the four had found shelter or otherwise reached a place of safety despite the communications breakdown.
The family’s disappearance has also resonated strongly with members of the Sri Lankan and Tamil communities in Australia and Sri Lanka, where concern has grown as efforts to locate those missing continue.
Australian emergency and consular personnel have been assisting operations in Nepal, working alongside local authorities to establish the status of missing Australian travellers.
Until contact is restored or their whereabouts are confirmed, the Muralitharans remain among the families anxiously awaiting answers from the devastated Himalayan border region.
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