A brother’s desperate search
Brett White is still looking for answers. His brother Tyronne Wade White hasn’t been heard from since April 7 when he went to the mountainous Langtang region of Nepal, now devastated after the powerful April 25 earthquake.
While just 549 Australians registered as travellers to Nepal, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said teams of government workers had accounted for 1450 Australians.
“All known Australians in Nepal have now been accounted for,” she said Friday.
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But the search continues for the White family from Taree, New South Wales. Brett White has sought help from the Nepalese head of a walking mission to seek out survivors in the Langtang area.
A Buddha statue sits unharmed among the debris of a collapsed temple in Bhaktapur. Photo: Getty
He is still looking for information about his brother Tyronne, who was last seen in a village in the Langtang region on the 23rd. That news that was delivered via social media from a Colombian who had eaten lunch with Tyronne.
“I’ve been doing a lot of my research through social media,” Mr White said, admitting the experience had left him “overwhelmed”.
Adding to the anguish, reports in Nepalese media describe a completely flattened village near Mount Langtang.
The Nepali Times reported that the 200 inhabitants of the village are “presumed to have perished” after the Saturday morning earthquake that has left the country in ruins.
“Nearly all the 200 inhabitants of this tiny village at the base of Mount Langtang are presumed to have perished,” the newspaper reports.
The Tamang family escaped Langtang, some with serious injuries, and Dawa Tamang reported that the village was completely ruined.
“The entire village is gone, our house is gone, where can I go once this is over?” the father said.
On Friday evening, a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told The New Daily they had been unable to locate Tyronne.
“Late this afternoon we have received new information that indicates Mr White’s safety remains unconfirmed,” the spokesperson said.
“We are urgently seeking to confirm his welfare and a consular officer has been deployed to the affected area. DFAT is in close contact with his family.”
Others found, but not out of trouble
Rescuers pull a teenage survivor from the rubble.
Other names of Australians are still marked missing on the Red Cross Restoring Family Links website, and Google’s People Finder has listed many Australians who have still not yet reported their whereabouts.
Some are listed as found, but in need of evacuation from villages which are running out of drinkable water.
Australian sisters Tess and Eliza Arnold report they have had their escape route blocked and are in the Bamboo Village with ten others, rapidly running out of food and water.
One glimmer of hope appeared for Bruce White of Wagga Wagga, who reported to Facebook that his daughter Athena and her friend Ngaire were found in the Langtang Valley on April 28.
Athena White was listed on Google’s missing person page, but has since had her status changed.
“The power of social media can do good sometimes,” the father posted to Facebook.
Aid slow to arrive
Frustration has mounted over the slow pace of relief efforts as aid slowly trickles out of the capital.
The BBC has reported some villagers have blocked roads to stop aid convoys passing them by.
Ms Bishop said 15 tons of Australian aid arrived on two cargo planes, which will fly stranded evacuees to Bangkok and safety.
One of the planes will then continue to Australia to take 66 citizens home.
“The circumstances are extremely challenging. Transport and communications are all disrupted,” she said.