DOMINANT ANGLE
Canberra is primarily concerned with the fate of its 34 nationals still missing in Nepal, a month after the floods of August 26, as new torrential rains hit India and Nepal.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
34 Australians remain missing in Nepal a month after the August 26 floods, out of a total of more than 5,500 people unaccounted for and 1,400 dead.
- 02
In India, at least 62 people have died in Uttar Pradesh after three days of torrential rains, with 46 injured and more than 1,000 homes damaged.
- 03
In Nepal, 21 new deaths were recorded between Thursday and Sunday, five people are still missing and 194 homes were damaged by floods and landslides.
ANALYSIS
Canberra, September 28, 2026. A month after the flash floods that ravaged the Nepal-Tibet border, Australia still has 34 of its nationals among the thousands of people missing, as new torrential rains hit India and Nepal this weekend.
In Newcastle, Bhavin Patel refuses to give up hope of finding his wife, Reshma Patel, who went missing on August 26 during a two-week pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar in the Himalayas. She had chosen to make the journey on foot rather than by helicopter, "before getting too old", while her husband stayed home with their two children. A torrent swept through the region that day. A month later, the Nepalese toll exceeds 1,400 dead and more than 5,500 people remain unaccounted for, including Mrs. Patel and 33 other Australians. "I still have hope," says Mr. Patel, who says he wants to return to the scene as soon as possible to continue the search. "I will never give up hope that she is somewhere safe, waiting."
Mr. Patel says he has received daily updates from the Australian government, before they stopped. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) says it has "serious concerns" for the 34 Australians still missing and acknowledges that it is "a deeply trying time for families and loved ones".
This tragedy has resurfaced as new bad weather hits the region: at least 62 dead in Uttar Pradesh after three days of torrential rains, with 46 injured and more than 1,000 houses damaged. Schools have remained closed in Lucknow. In neighboring Odisha, 75,000 people have been evacuated. In Nepal, 21 additional deaths have been recorded between Thursday and Sunday, five people are still missing, and 194 houses have been damaged by floods and landslides - a new shock for a country that has not finished counting its August dead. The authorities in Uttar Pradesh have advised residents to avoid unnecessary travel in flooded areas and to stay away from swollen rivers. According to Atul Kumar Singh, a scientist at the Regional Meteorological Center in Lucknow, the depression system formed over the Bay of Bengal is expected to weaken, even if light rains could still hit the east and west of the state in the coming days.
