Search for missing Canadian slowed by bad weather in Australian mountains

Australian police say they searched again Friday for a Canadian hiker missing in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales and that he has not been found.

They say the search for Prabhdeep Srawn in the Kosciuszko National Park involved nine police officers and National Parks and Wildlife Service personnel, but the operation was hampered by bad weather.

New South Wales Police have been steadily scaling back the search for Srawn after failing to find any trace of the 25-year-old Brampton, Ont., man who has been missing since May 13.

On Tuesday, they hinted that the search would last only a couple more days.

A police spokesman told The Canadian Press early Friday that his understanding was that the search would continue for a few more days but that local police would make the decision based on available resources.

Family will continue rescue effort when police give up

• Family of missing Canadian in Australia offers $15K reward

Srawn's family has said it will continue the rescue effort when the official search ends.

Diane Ablonczy, the minister of state for consular affairs, met with the family Thursday and indicated that she had spoken with both Australia's foreign minister and High Commissioner to Canada.

"We understand that the Australians must make their own decisions about their resources, but we will continue to engage the Australian government on the family's behalf," said Joshua Zanin, a spokesman for the minister.

'Prabhdeep Srawn has selflessly served this country and must not be abandoned during this time of great need' Thomas Mulcair, NDP leader

Srawn is a Canadian army reservist and his family and supporters still believe he will be found alive because he has had extensive survivor training and hiking experience.

Both NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau have appealed to the federal government to encourage Australian authorities to continue looking for Srawn.

"Prabhdeep Srawn has selflessly served this country and must not be abandoned during this time of great need, "Mulcair wrote to Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Tuesday.

In his earlier letter to Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, Trudeau said he joins Srawn's family in urging Canada's "continued support of the ongoing rescue efforts."

Family has offered reward

Srawn, who was born and raised in Hamilton, has been studying law at Bond University in Australia for the past two years. His family moved to Brampton in 2012.

His cousin, Tej Sahota, tweeted late Monday that the family is offering a $15,000 reward if Srawn is found safe.

Members of his family have travelled to Australia to urge officials to increase search efforts by calling in the military, which emergency officials are currently refusing to do.

"It seems like rescue efforts were very slow in the beginning," Srawn's cousin, Ruby Singh-Sahota said. "We know he's out there somewhere we're just frustrated by how long it's taking to get to him."

Canadian officials at Foreign Affairs have been little help in the search, Singh-Sahota said. Amanda Reid, spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs, told the CBC that consular officials have been working closely with local authorities and are ready to help as needed.

"Consular officers remain in contact with family members and are providing assistance," she said.

But Singh-Sahota said that simply isn't the case. "The information we get is a lot quicker than they do," she said. "It's not too useful."

No privacy concerns

When pressed for information as to the status of the search or the Canadian government's role, Reid would only say, "to protect the privacy of the individual concerned we can release no further details on this case."

Singh-Sahota found that odd, as well. "The family has no concern of privacy in this matter," she said.

Srawn was a Canadian Forces reservist from 2005 to 2011, belonging to the 31 Service Battalion's Hamilton Company. This training, according to Singh-Sahota, gives him an advantage surviving in the wild, but doesn't completely protect him from severe weather conditions.

"Every minute is so crucial and the weather is getting worse," said Singh-Sahota. "Although Prabh is a very smart guy, and we know he has very good survival instincts. And if anybody can hold on, it can be him."