Nepal floods: Relatives, friends turn to social media for news of uncontactable Malaysians

KUALA LUMPUR – Relatives and friends of Malaysians uncontactable following the devastating floods in Nepal have taken to social media to share their plight and seek information.Among those missing is a group of 17 Malaysians travelling to Mount Kailash in Tibet for a pilgrimage.In a social media post on Aug 27, R. Logadashini said four of her family members – her father S. Raman, 59; mother M. Neelavany, 54; uncle S. Murukan, 60; and aunt G. Padmahwathi, 58 – were among the 17 Malaysians in the group organised by Nepal-based Fishtail Tours & Travels.She said the group arrived in Nepal on Aug 23 and was scheduled to continue its pilgrimage until Sept 5.“My father, mother, uncle and aunty are missing. They are Malaysian citizens and were traveling to Mount Kailash on a pilgrimage.“They were part of a tour and travel group,” Logadashini said in her post.Meanwhile, when contacted by Bernama, she said that the group had arrived in Nepal on Aug 23 and was scheduled to continue on the pilgrimage until Sept 5.“The last direct communication with the tour group was recorded at about 8.18am Nepal time on Aug 26 (10.33am Singapore time), when they were reported to be about 2km from the Nepal-Tibet Immigration Checkpoint.“After that, all contact with the group was lost. We tried contacting the agency and the Malaysian Embassy but, as of now, we have not received any information,” she said when contacted by Bernama.Logadashini said her family’s last WhatsApp message was received at about 8.40am Singapore time on Aug 26.Another Internet user, with the handle @LeenaBhaskaran, posted on social media that her aunty and her aunty’s children were also uncontactable in Nepal.“We have not heard from them yet. We have been trying to contact authorities but there have been no updates.“When we last heard from them, they were at the Kathmandu-Tibet immigration checkpoint just before the disaster,” she said.Another Internet user Divyavarshini Krishnan shared that her father, who was on a pilgrimage to Kailash, was also missing.Sharing her father’s details and the information on the tour group he joined on social media, she said the group were there on a pilgrimage.“We are currently heading to the embassy to lodge a report regarding the group and the people who travelled together.“We are urgently trying to obtain any information regarding their whereabouts, safety or current situation.“If anyone has received any updates, has contacts in Nepal or Tibet, or knows anything about this group, please contact us and share the information immediately.“For families whose relatives travelled with other groups and are currently uncontactable, please report to Wisma Putra as soon as possible.“Please help us share this information as even a small piece of information or contact may help the families who are desperately waiting for news,” she said. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK