The family of Renee, an Australian woman missing after flash floods in Nepal, is fundraising to travel to the region and search for her. Renee was at Gyirong Port, one of the hardest-hit areas, just 10 minutes before the flood struck.
Family's search efforts
Renee's sister, Clair Spry, has set up a GoFundMe campaign to help Renee's partner, Shaun, and their two daughters, Lily and Ruby, travel to Nepal. Shaun wants to go to the port to look for any signs of her, and the daughters do not want him to go alone.
Spry said the family's first reaction was to go, despite the practical difficulties of entering the area in the first few days. "They still want to go," she said, "and if they are able to find her, to bring her home."
Hope amid devastation
Images from Chinese rescue teams show the area completely flattened, with huge buildings and power lines wiped away. Spry acknowledged the family understands how dire the situation is, but they hold onto hope until they know for certain.
"Everyone's very realistic. We know how bad this was and where she was. But until they find her, everyone's got this little slither of hope that maybe she's stuck somewhere and can't get out, or she's injured," she said.
Renee, a disability support worker from the Sunshine Coast, had been with Shaun since they were 15. Spry described her sister as a "deeply spiritual" person who chose a "completely selfless vocation." She said Renee would prefer attention be on the Nepali people displaced by the disaster and the impact of the climate crisis on the world's most economically vulnerable populations.
Another Australian confirmed dead
The family of Michael Keats, an Australian who had been near the Tibet-Nepal border when flash flooding began, confirmed his death in social media posts. Keats's wife, Emily Boyd, said he had been on a pilgrimage to Mt Kailash that had been a "dream for many years."
"He was a mystic, a medicine man, a teacher, leader, partner, father, brother, son, uncle and dearly beloved friend," Boyd said. "A heart of pure gold. We love you forever and always."
