Named: The Australian family of four missing in Nepal
Sydney couple Sreedharan and Lakshmi Iyer are missing in the aftermath of devastating flash floods that have killed thousands in Nepal and Tibet, along with their two sons, Rishab and Rudhra. Also in The Front’s afternoon headlines: a huge AFL fine for the Geelong Cats and tributes for the late actor Tim Curry and artist Yayoi Kusama.
Read more:
One man's ‘agonising’ wait for mate as Wong confirms ‘at least’ 34 Australians missing
‘It came at lightning speed’: how the sudden flood devastated Nepal
Geelong hit with $140,000 fine over Jake Kolodjashnij concussion waiver
Rocky Horror’s Tim Curry dies aged 80
Yayoi Kusama, legendary artist of polka dots and pumpkins, dies aged 97
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Speaker 1: Today's biggest news from The Australian, I'm Claire Harvey with
Speaker 1: the front's afternoon headlines. Sydney couples Sridharan and Lakshmi Iyer
Speaker 1: are missing in the aftermath of devastating flash floods in
Speaker 1: Nepal and Tibet, along with their two sons, Rishabh and Rudra.
Speaker 1: Both sons are medicine students based in Gosford on the
Speaker 1: New South Wales' central coast. Mr Iyer is a Sydney
Speaker 1: mortgage broker who also runs a childcare centre along with
Speaker 1: his wife. Their close friends and family are enduring an
Speaker 1: agonising wait for news, describing the family as angels in
Speaker 1: human form who live to help others and devout Hindus
Speaker 1: who were on the pilgrimage of a lifetime. They were
Speaker 1: in Nepal with a group of friends in a journey
Speaker 1: to Mount Kailash in Tibet. Foreign Minister Penny Wong says
Speaker 1: at least 34 Australians are unaccounted for, including 15 members
Speaker 1: of a Himalayan Glacier Adventures tour group and another six
Speaker 1: who were travelling with Kailash Journeys.
Speaker 2: I'm not in a position to provide any further details
Speaker 2: about them at this stage. The government's priority is to
Speaker 2: confirm the whereabouts and welfare of these Australians. And DFAT
Speaker 2: officials in Nepal and also China are seeking to do that.
Speaker 1: Penny Wong said Australia is working to provide humanitarian assistance
Speaker 1: to Nepal in conjunction with the United Nations, the Red
Speaker 1: Cross and other aid organisations.
Speaker 3: If you look at the footage and the destruction, and
Speaker 3: we know this is a country that may not have
Speaker 3: the resources that will be needed to deal with the
Speaker 3: recovery by themselves, so they're likely to need.
Speaker 2: A helping hand.
Speaker 1: The exact cause of the flooding is unknown, but some
Speaker 1: experts believe it may have been caused by falling ice
Speaker 1: from a glacier. Early reports suggested the deadly cascade may
Speaker 1: have been triggered by a landslide in the mountains near
Speaker 1: the border separating Nepal and Tibet. Some experts have warned
Speaker 1: a second flood could occur due to river blockages. People
Speaker 1: living near the area have been told to evacuate. and
Speaker 1: Nepal's Defence Force continues its rescue and recovery efforts. China
Speaker 1: sent more than 1,000 rescuers into Tibet, where more than
Speaker 1: 500 people are missing. The Geelong Cats have been fined
Speaker 1: $ 140, 000 by the AFL after it emerged that the club
Speaker 1: struck a secret deal to strip a player of legal
Speaker 1: recourse if he sustained a concussion during a game. Geelong
Speaker 1: signed the deal with Jake Kolodzhasny at the end of 2024.
Speaker 1: when now AFL chairman Craig Drummond was the club's president.
Speaker 1: Drummond and the Cats' current chief executive Steve Hocking haven't
Speaker 1: received any penalties for their involvement in the establishment of
Speaker 1: the so-called concussion waiver. An independent investigation by Silk James-Peters
Speaker 1: found the club was in breach of the AFL's rules
Speaker 1: because the contract wasn't lodged with them. You can hear
Speaker 1: about the AFL's concussion saga by scrolling back to Tuesday's
Speaker 1: episode of The Front in your feed. A day after
Speaker 1: it was announced country music legend Dolly Parton had died,
Speaker 1: the world has lost two more cultural icons. Actor Tim Curry,
Speaker 1: best known for playing the eccentric Dr. Frank N. Furter
Speaker 1: in stage and screen adaptations of the Rocky Horror Picture Show,
Speaker 1: and the snarky concierge in Home Alone 2, died at
Speaker 1: his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday. He was 80.
Speaker 1: In Japan, avant-garde artist Yayoi Kasama died in a Tokyo
Speaker 1: hospital on Wednesday. The 97-year-old's obliteration rooms and spotted pumpkins
Speaker 1: were beloved around the globe, with the biggest ever retrospective
Speaker 1: of her work on show at the National Gallery of
Speaker 1: Victoria in Melbourne last year. Check out those stories live
Speaker 1: right now at theaustralian.com.au and come back to the front
Speaker 1: first thing in the morning for our look at the
Speaker 1: government's big migration shake-up. Labor's cracking down on students and tourists,
Speaker 1: but is it a band-aid for our homegrown housing crisis?
Speaker 1: That's right here, Friday mornings.