‘Please don’t give up’: Son urges search for parents missing in Nepal

Akash Venkatraman fears the search for his parents and other missing Australians in Nepal could lose momentum just when the next few days may be critical. Chitra Venkatraman and Venkatraman Balakrishnan were taking part in a spiritual tour with the US hiking company Himalayan Glacier when flash floods swept through the Nepal-Tibet border last Wednesday.

The 22-year-old last spoke to his parents when they were about 15 kilometres from the Tibet border. From the family’s home in Western Sydney, Akash, his grandmother Sita Swaminathan and his 17-year-old brother Akshay are waiting for news of the couple they describe as much-loved “heroes.”

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If the attention deviates and the need for action to happen rescinds and the possibility that my parents … or anyone else could still be alive … they could either be injured, unconscious, hungry or thirsty.

A second Australian was reportedly found alive in Nepal on Tuesday afternoon, renewing hope for the Venkatraman family and for relatives of Shylaja, Chandresekaran, Ashwin and Aarush Muralitharan. But the families say they are worried that attention is turning away from those still missing, even though they may be alive.

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The worst possibility is not them passing away or not being found, the worst possibility is them sticking it out for so long and us giving up.

“If the attention deviates and the need for action to happen rescinds and the possibility that my parents … or anyone else could still be alive … they could either be injured, unconscious, hungry or thirsty,” Akash said. His uncle is in Nepal retracing the couple’s last known locations, contacting the embassy and viewing the bodies of people who died. Akash said information remained limited and asked Australians to contact their local MPs or ambassador to keep pressure on authorities.

“The worst possibility is not them passing away or not being found, the worst possibility is them sticking it out for so long and us giving up,” he said. Sita Swaminathan urged authorities to find her daughter, son-in-law and the others “at any cost.” She said her instincts told her they were alive, perhaps injured or stranded without food or water. Akshay, who is completing his final year of school, described his parents as funny, caring and loving.

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At any cost.