The number of Australians reported missing in Nepal's catastrophic flooding has risen to 41, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat), as four crisis response teams are expected to arrive in Kathmandu later Saturday to bolster consular efforts. The update came as one family celebrated after a woman previously unaccounted for made contact, becoming the first of the missing Australians confirmed safe.
First Missing Australian Confirmed Safe
Cara Severino, 25, contacted her parents, Debbie and Frank Severino, on Friday morning, informing them she was hiking away from the disaster zone to Kathmandu with a group of Nepali hikers – a trek of more than 110km. She was the first of the 41 Australians reported missing to be confirmed safe, according to Dfat, which has been urgently working with local authorities to contact her.
The Red Cross has reported around 600 people dead and as many as 93,000 people may have been affected by Wednesday's flash floods on the Nepal-Tibet border. A massive rescue operation is underway, but it is being hampered by fears of new flooding.
Rescue Operations and International Response
Dfat has received more than 450 calls in relation to the disaster. Nepal's disaster management agency says there are 1,924 people unaccounted for, with 517 of those being foreign tourists. Around 7:30pm on Friday evening, the authority said 121 foreigners had been rescued – none of them were Australians.
Four Dfat crisis response teams officers are expected to arrive in Kathmandu later Saturday to support consular efforts on the ground. Four rapid response team members – humanitarian response specialists with expertise in communications, logistics and planning – are also expected to arrive. These extra deployments add to around 20 personnel Australia already has on the ground with the Australian Embassy in Kathmandu.
Aid Efforts and Government Pledge
Australian charities are starting to pump in aid, with the Emergency Action Alliance – a peak body representing major Australian charities – currently raising funds to build emergency shelters, get food and safe drinking water to communities, hygiene supplies and medical care. But conditions on the ground are difficult and unpredictable owing to the scale of the damage and the heavy monsoon.
Rescue operations in Nepal and China had resumed as of Saturday morning after being suspended due to the risk of further flooding. On Friday night, Penny Wong spoke with the Nepali Foreign Minister to affirm that Australia stands ready to provide further humanitarian assistance, including to aid rescue and recovery efforts. Australia has pledged $5 million in aid and support for the disaster.
Outside the hospital in Kathmandu yesterday, there were scenes of anxiety as families put up posters of loved ones, and authorities hung pictures of the dead that need to be identified. One woman said her cousin was on his way back from Australia because his brother had gone missing. Like many others, she was putting pictures of him up, in case he was brought back to the hospital.
