Five Australians found alive in Nepal, Tibet after floods
Five Australians who were missing in Nepal and Tibet after last week’s catastrophic floods have been found alive.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has revised the number of missing Australians in the region from 43 to 38, nine.com.au understands.
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said there were still “grave concerns” for 38 missing Australians in the region. Alex Ellinghausen
One citizen was found in Nepal and one was found in Tibet, with both regions severely impacted by the floods that have killed at least 1000 people and nearly 4000 people missing.
Three other people were based outside the disaster zone in Nepal, but had not made contact with family or loved ones since the disaster struck.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australian personnel were working in the region to locate more of the missing Australians.
“We hold grave concerns for their wellbeing. Those concerns deepen each day,” she told media on Tuesday.
A drone view shows rescue workers inspect the area and damaged structures in Nepal. Rajesh Kumar Singh
“We've been working around the clock to gain information, to provide support, to work to ascertain any information about the Australians who are missing.”
She added that Australia was in consistent discussions with both Nepal and China as part of assisting with rescue and humanitarian efforts.
As police in Kathmandu buried dozens of bodies in multiple trenches, Nepal’s disaster agency said that 1003 deaths had been counted there, with 3916 people missing, including 583 foreign nationals.
In its latest update, China reported 16 deaths and 546 missing, including 261 foreigners.
The scale of the disaster is hampering rescue efforts in both countries, with landslides, destroyed roads and widespread damage cutting off remote areas. Crews faced challenging conditions as they searched unstable terrain and piles of debris, raising fears the death toll could rise as rescuers reach isolated communities.
At least 11,814 people have been rescued so far, according to Nepalese authorities. Emergency crews used helicopters and other aircraft to reach stranded communities in areas where roads and bridges have been destroyed by the flooding and landslides.
Thousands remain missing in Nepal and Tibet. Rajesh Kumar Singh
Efforts are being stepped up to provide assistance to survivors in areas where roads and other transportation routes had been damaged or cut off.
The disaster began in the Himalayas when a glacial collapse sent large amounts of rock, ice and meltwater into valleys below, triggering powerful floods downstream.
Scientists studying satellite imagery said the collapse appears to have involved the failure of bedrock beneath a glacier in the Himalayan region. The rockfall was powerful enough to register as a magnitude 5.2 seismic event.
The resulting surge of water and debris entered rivers that flow through valleys in Tibet and Nepal, causing them to rise rapidly. Floodwaters swept away homes, buildings, roads and bridges and carried mud and rocks downstream.
- Reported with Associated Press
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