The family and friends of missing Durban woman Terricia Govender have returned to South Africa after spending two weeks in Nepal searching for the 33-year-old.
Govender, from Isipingo, was last heard from before a devastating flash flood struck near the Nepal-Tibet border last month. She is among six South Africans who remain missing following the disaster.
Her mother, Linda, her uncle and close friend Sashin Maharaj returned to Durban on Friday after travelling through affected areas in search of information about her whereabouts.
Maharaj says the group searched hospitals, rescue camps, villages and riverbanks during their efforts to locate Govender.
He says they also received support from local communities and people affected by the disaster.
“You realise that in spite of your own pain and your own story or the reason that you're there, there are thousands of people who are in a similar situation,” Maharaj said.
He says people continued to offer assistance and promised to share any information they received about Govender or other missing South Africans.
The search comes as humanitarian organisations continue relief operations in areas affected by the catastrophic flooding.
The World Food Programme has described the aid response as one of its most challenging operations, with cargo drones and helicopters being used to deliver food and supplies to communities cut off by damaged infrastructure.
The August 26 disaster was triggered by a glacial mountain collapse in the Himalayan region along the China-Nepal border.
The resulting floodwaters swept through mountain districts, destroying roads, bridges and hydropower infrastructure.
At least 1,446 people have died, while more than 6,500 people remain missing across the affected areas of Nepal and China.
For Govender's family, however, the search continues despite their return home.
They say they remain determined to find out what happened to the missing Durban woman.