A San Diego couple is among the missing following devastating floods in Nepal, and their family is demanding more action from the U.S. government to locate them and roughly 70 other missing American citizens.
The family submitted a 108-page petition to the State Department asking officials to deploy drones, DNA matching technology, satellite imagery and cell tower location data to help find the missing Americans.
When asked about the petition and what aid the U.S. has sent, Luke Ortega, deputy spokesman for the Department of State, said the administration is supporting Nepal's lead on search and rescue.
"President Trump has been very clear that we stand ready to support these local authorities. We stand ready to support Nepal in this moment. They are, of course, leading the search and rescue efforts in this moment," Ortega said.
Ortega said the U.S. is working directly with the U.S. Embassy in Nepal to gather information from the ground. He said the U.S. has sent tractors and solar generators to Nepal's capital and has funneled millions of dollars through aid organizations into Nepal. He also detailed how treacherous the conditions in Nepal are.
But Anu Peshawaria, the aunt of one of the missing Americans, said that is not enough.
"It's okay for Nepal to take the lead. But for our own Americans, we can also do something ... we can go after them .. we can send special assistance," Anu said.
Ortega did not confirm that the U.S. was deploying drones, DNA matching personnel, or satellite imagery to help recover missing Americans. He said the embassy was working in Kathmandu to verify information.
The State Department also promised a response to the 108-page petition by noon Thursday. A spokesperson said that supporting Americans remained a "top priority" and said they were in "direct contact with the families of Americans who remain unaccounted for." They also said that the U.S. was working directly with the Nepalese government to see how they could be of assistance.
Ortega also pushed for those missing to go to the Department of State's website, and told those with missing families to call 888-407-4747.
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