Father of Israeli missing in Nepal: 'Not leaving without him'
Search continues for 22-year-old Or Asraf in Langtang; almost a dozen friends from IDF units join mission to find only Israeli still unaccounted for in wake of quake.
"I am not going anywhere until I find him," his father, Patrick, said on Saturday evening, who tagged along on the rescue chopper with his son's friends.
However, the Asraf family noted that a Dutch tourist was discovered safe and sound two days ago in the Langtang area where their son disappeared.
Patrick is remaining in Nepal, overseeing the ongoing search efforts, in which Or's friends from his IDF unit have taken part. They have been assisted by a guide from the Nepalese tour operator owned by Israelis.
At around noon local time, the father and Or's friends took off in a rescue helicopter which they chartered in hopes of finding the missing Israeli.
"The search which began yesterday continues," Patrick told Ynet on the phone. "There are difficult areas in which we have to carefully plot our course in order to avoid risking any further lives. Meanwhile, we have no findings, not of belongings or of Or."
The worried father added that his son was not accompanied by any other travelers during the fatal quake. "He was alone. There were those who saw him on the way, we have their testimonies. But no one saw him after the earthquake. Everybody saw him before. The last to have seen him saw him an hour before."
Almost a dozen of Or's friends have accompanied his father during the search. The unit's commander, who is on active duty in Israel, arrived to assist after receiving a special exemption from the IDF.
"Some of them have been out in the field since yesterday while others joined today," added Asraf. "We are being assisted by private choppers who are being funded by donors helping with the search. We are hoping for good news.
Ilana Curiel contributed to this report.
