Johannesburg - After days of praying for the safety of their loved ones after a deadly earthquake hit Nepal, a South African family is rejoicing at the news that their family members are alive.
Wenette Snyman said her prayers were answered when her mother, stepfather and stepsister made contact with her and family on Monday, informing that they were safe and well looked after.
The 7.9 magnitude quake which was centred outside Kathmandu, the capital, hit Nepal on Saturday.
It has already claimed the lives of close to 5 000 people, injuring about 7 000 more.
The quake has killed hundreds more in neighbouring countries, making it Nepal’s most deadly quake in 81 years.
It has also triggered a massive avalanche on Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, killing about 17 climbers and guides.
But Snyman’s family’s lives were miraculously spared, despite being in close proximity to the mountain.
She said the trio, who arrived in the country in the middle of April, were hiking on the mountain but were not planning on summiting.
“They would stop and rest at guest houses on base camps situated on the mountain.”
Snyman said that news of the devastating natural disaster only reached her later on Saturday as she was on holiday in a remote location.
But when she finally heard that the country in which her beloved family were visiting had been hit by the devastating quake, she was “shocked and distraught.”
“They made slight contact with us on Saturday but the network was bad and we couldn’t really talk,” said Snyman.
Mixed signals from government
Thagaran Govender, the chief information officer at Mercantile Bank in Joburg, was on a hiking holiday when the earthquake struck.
His friend Professor Narend Baijnath is now trying to get him rescued from Nepal and is struggling to get help from the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco).
“My friend is stuck in Nepal after the earthquake. He was 300m from base camp at Mount Everest when the earthquake hit. He SMSed me, asking for help.
“He says the buildings have been destroyed and that it’s absolute chaos. He’s trying to get out of the disaster zone and needs advice on what to do and where to go,” Baijnath said on Sunday night.
Govender had since made his way to the nearby village of Namche Bazaar, which is a major stop-off point for trekkers and climbers heading for Everest.
He had been there for a week when the earthquake struck. Baijnath was frustrated at the lack of assistance.
“The Nepalese government doesn’t have the proper disaster management structures in place, so I’ve been trying to get info and help from Dirco, but they’ve been useless. I’ve been on the phone for several hours with Dirco, trying to get help, and they told me they can’t really do anything because it’s a risk he took when he decided to travel aboard. I was appalled,” Baijnath said.
Dirco spokesman Clayson Monyela denied emphatically that the response could have come from his department.
He said: “That couldn’t have happened. Our customer services department is not at work on weekends and during public holidays, so it couldn’t have been anyone from Dirco.
“Our team from Sri Lanka, along with the ambassador, have been working around the clock since the disaster struck. I’ve been receiving calls from families looking for their loved ones and have been helping them.”
The Star