Gift of the Givers rescue team ready for Nepal deployment

Humanitarian organisation, the Gift of the Givers, says it has an eleven-member rescue team on standby to deploy to Nepal.

Six South Africans are among the 1 400 missing following devastating floods on Wednesday.

Thousands of homes, shopping malls and businesses have reportedly been washed away after a glacier collapsed near the Nepal-Tibet border.

Gift of the Givers founder, Imtiaz Sooliman, says the South African Police Service (SAPS) has authorised four officers and their dogs to join the team.

“They suggested not sending any teams for now because there is no clarity as to an announcement being made by the Nepalese government for international assistance.

Also, it’s too high risk because of secondary destruction; they are also expecting another dam to collapse and certainly because there is no access.

Helicopters cannot land and the only means of access is helicopters, but if the international assistance is made, all teams will be functioning out of the capital, Kathmandu, because the capital is only 125 kilometres from the disaster site.” “We are already in touch with the Nepalese embassy in South Africa; they are ready to process visas if the call for international assistance is made,” says Sooliman.

Video| Gift of the Givers’ Imtiaz Sooliman on aid for the Nepalese flood victims: Meanwhile, police in Nepal are warning people to move to higher ground after reports that an upstream dam in Tibet has been leaking.

In Tibet itself, Chinese rescue workers have been told to stop their operations for now.

In KwaZulu-Natal, a Durban family whose daughter is among six South Africans reported to be missing says the hardest part is being thousands of kilometres away.

Terricia Govender, who celebrated her 33rd birthday on Tuesday, was in Nepal on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash when the floods struck.

Her mother, Linda Govender says, “We are absolutely devastated about what has happened, but right now, we hope and pray that the rescue team can get to her and the others and bring them home.

I just want Terricia home right now.

We have received communication from the Gift of the Givers, the Nepal government; many people reached out to us and gave us information, but nothing positive.” Video| Family members await word on missing South African in Nepal: