Australians Reported Missing In Aftermath Of Nepal Earthquake; Labor Asks For 'Urgent Advice'

More than a dozen Australians have been reported missing after the massive earthquake in Nepal. A 7.8 magnitude quake that shook the country on April 25 and claimed the lives of more than 2,700 people as of writing.

Families have begun putting the names of their missing loved ones since the earthquake struck on the Red Cross’ Family Links website. Several Australians were included in the list. One of the reported Australians missing is the brother of Australian actor Hugh Sheridan, reports Sky News. “Please. Anyone who is awake, please pray for my little brother Zachary who is on Mt. Everest,” tweeted Sheridan.

Another Australian believed to be missing is Ballantyne Paige Forder, a woman from Perth reportedly working in an orphanage in Kathmandu at the time of the earthquake. Her sister, Amanda-Sue Markham, said the family has yet to her from Forder. Markham told the Nine Network that the family was trying not to worry too much and refrained from looking at pictures coming out of Nepal.

The families of two friends in Queensland believed to be hiking to a base camp on Mt. Everest were also looking for news about their whereabouts. Jai Williams and Ben Flanders were expected to reach the camp on the day the earthquake struck Nepal.

Other people from Brisbane, Melbourne, South Australia and Tasmania are also on the Red Cross list. Several aid agencies including Oxfam have been sending teams to Nepal to provide assistance in the wake of the nation’s deadliest earthquake in over 80 years.

Helen Szoke, chief executive of Oxfam Australia, said a group of disaster experts will be flying in from UK with supplies. She added in a statement that thousands of people in Nepal have gathered in open spaces and felt scared after enduring several aftershocks. Oxfam staff in Nepal sleep in football fields and other open spaces with the people because they are the currently the safest places to stay, reports The Guardian.

The Australian Labor party has urged the Abbott government to offer assistance in the recovery operations in Nepal. Tanya Plibersek, the opposition’s foreign affairs spokesperson, said in a statement that Labor has asked for “urgent advice” concerning the safety of Australians reportedly in the area during the devastating quake.

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