Partner of missing Australian seeks tech firm data after Nepal floods

The partner of an Australian national unaccounted for in the wake of catastrophic flooding across Nepal is appealing to technology firms to provide access to digital records that might assist in locating him.

The search has been hampered by difficulties in obtaining information from Nepal, where monsoon-triggered floods and landslides have wreaked widespread destruction across the Himalayan nation. Communications infrastructure and administrative systems have been severely disrupted by the disaster.

Technology companies, including telecommunications and social media platforms, typically hold location data, communication records, and other digital information that could potentially help trace missing persons. The appeal highlights the critical role such firms can play during humanitarian emergencies, particularly when conventional search and rescue operations face logistical constraints.

Nepal's disaster management agencies have been overwhelmed by the scale of the crisis, with hundreds reported dead and thousands displaced. The situation underscores the challenges facing families of missing persons in accessing timely information during major natural disasters in the region.