NATIONAL NEWS - Gift of the Givers has a 15-person rescue team packed and ready to leave for Nepal, while desperate South African families are also trying to reach the disaster zone as the Nepalese government battles to identify hundreds of bodies recovered after devastating flash floods.

Six South Africans remain missing after the Nepal-Tibet floods last Wednesday, with some relatives now trying to travel to Nepal themselves in the hope of finding their loved ones.

By Sunday, 797 bodies had been recovered and 2 502 people were reported missing. The Nepalese government said it had begun burying some of the hundreds of bodies after taking DNA samples and marking the remains so that families could later identify and retrieve them.

We are waiting for the call, but we already have a team ready to go, along with a standby team and a standby medical team. The four dogs will also be wearing protective gear, they have special boots, they have their handlers who are aware of how long they are allowed to work for and to also have a rest, we have to ensure they are well taken care of as they are very important to the mission.

“We must ensure they rest, have meals and pay attention to the different stressors they may encounter,” Sooliman said.

He said the team would take equipment including ropes, chains and safety gear.

The organisation is also in contact with the families of the six missing South Africans.

They are Isipingo resident Terricia Govender (33); Ladysmith residents Surendranath Maharaj (74) and his wife Anitha Devi Maharaj (67), and Vivaganathan Pillay (66) and his wife Janet Pillay (56); and East London resident Bhavika Ramjee (43).

Arvin Maharaj, a close family friend of Govender, said her parents were trying to travel to Nepal to search for her.

“We are not hearing much at this point and Terricia’s family are concerned for her, they want to try and go out to the area to look for her. We are hoping and praying for a miracle,” Maharaj said.

Govender had travelled to the area for a pilgrimage and spent her birthday there. She was due to return to South Africa on Friday and was at the Nepal-China border when the disaster struck.

Her mother, Linda Govender, has been sharing details of her whereabouts across social media and news platforms in an effort to help locate her. In Kathmandu, musician Prashant Pokherel is also trying to help South African families searching for relatives. Pokherel, who is known to South Africans who travel to the region for pilgrimage and religious music, said he was sharing information about missing people while rescue teams struggled to reach areas cut off by washed-away roads.

We are seeing many reports of missing people and we are trying to assist by sharing those posters or any information we have. Many of the roadways have been washed away so accessing the area is very difficult.

“Rescue efforts have begun and Kathmandu, which is the capital city, is trying to assist in any way possible,” Pokherel said.

He said there were also plans to use music to raise funds for relief efforts.

Gift of the Givers remains in contact with Sulosh Pillay, a South African who crossed safely into Tibet two days before the disaster.

The Witness tried contacting Pillay, but network problems prevented her from taking calls. She responded to WhatsApp messages at around 4am on Sunday, saying she had lost network on Saturday and was waiting for the weather to clear so they could fly to Kathmandu.

President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed condolences on Sunday morning to those affected by the disaster and said South Africa was ready to assist with relief efforts.

The South African Hindu Maha Sabha said it was also coordinating support and appealed to affiliates, organisations and communities to contribute through its Project 108 initiative.

Banking details are:

Account name: Initiative 108 NPC
Bank: Standard Bank
Phoenix account number: 042 570 859
Account type: Business Current Account
Branch code: 051001 (electronic payments)
SWIFT: SBZA ZA JJ
Reference: Nepal

Article: Caxrton publication, The Witness

‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’