Australian officials are handling 43 consular cases linked to the Nepal-China flood disaster as authorities race to find 39 Australians still unaccounted for and warn that a newly formed lake could unleash another flood.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the number of missing Australians had risen by four since Thursday, with the additional travellers believed to have been travelling separately from the tour groups already identified.
“The advice to date is we have some 43 consular cases with 39 Australians unaccounted for,” Wong told ABC Radio National on Friday.
She said Australian officials had contacted the families of missing travellers and were taking calls from people concerned about anyone who had been in the region.
Asked whether the number could rise again, Wong said that was “an unfortunate possibility” because the disaster had struck a remote area where communications and transport networks had been destroyed.
“We are urgently working to identify how many Australians are and have been in the region and to confirm the welfare of any Australians who are not accounted for,” she said.
At least 392 people have been confirmed dead across Nepal and Tibet, while close to 1,500 remain missing. Nepal has recorded 389 deaths and more than 900 people missing, while three deaths and more than 550 missing people have been reported on the Tibetan side of the border.
The casualty figures remain fluid as rescue teams search isolated settlements, hotels, pilgrimage routes and infrastructure sites buried beneath mud and debris.
A fresh warning has been issued for communities along Nepal’s Bhotekoshi River after satellite images showed a lake forming behind debris at the site of Wednesday’s glacial collapse. Nepal’s disaster authority said the water level was rising and warned that the natural barrier could fail.
Residents, rescuers and others in the affected region have been told to remain away from riverbanks and low-lying areas. Authorities in China are also monitoring unstable lakes created by rock, ice and debris blocking waterways.
Wong said the possibility of further flooding was concerning and urged Australians in the region to monitor Smartraveller and follow instructions from local authorities.
“Communications is challenging, but I think the key issue is we still don’t have a sense yet of the whereabouts of so many people,” she said. “There’s a lot of work to be done to try and ascertain where people are.”
Australia now has about 20 officials in Nepal and plans to send another four consular officers within 24 hours. An initial team of three humanitarian response specialists is also being deployed.
Wong said the specialists had experience in humanitarian assessment, logistics, communications and planning and would support Australian personnel already working in difficult conditions.
The government would consider sending further assistance after assessing local needs. Wong said she planned to speak with Nepal’s Foreign Minister and discuss what further support was required.
Asked whether Australian Defence Force personnel could be deployed, Wong said Australia generally sent response specialists experienced in logistics, planning and communications but would continue discussions with Nepalese authorities.
The Australian Government has announced $5 million in humanitarian assistance. The package includes $2 million for the World Food Programme, $2 million for Australian non-government organisations through the Australian Humanitarian Partnership and $1 million for the Emergency Action Alliance.
The assistance is intended to provide food, temporary shelter, hygiene supplies, blankets, medical care, clean water and psychosocial support.
India has also sent 10 tonnes of humanitarian assistance and essential medicines aboard an Indian Air Force transport aircraft. The shipment included temporary shelters, blankets, hygiene kits and solar lamps, with further assistance expected.
About 100 Indian nationals who had initially been listed as missing have since been located, according to Reuters, although hundreds of foreign pilgrims and tourists remain unaccounted for.
At least 15 of the missing Australians are Indian Australians who were travelling on a religious tour to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar. The group includes boys aged 11 and 14.
The travellers were part of a larger group organised by Himalayan Glacier Adventures and had been preparing to cross into Tibet. The company lost contact with them after the flood struck.
The disaster began when a vast mass of glacial ice and rock collapsed high in the Himalayas, sending a torrent of mud, water and debris into the river system below. The United States Geological Survey said activity initially reported as an earthquake was generated by the collapse itself.
Villages, roads, bridges, hydropower facilities and communications networks were destroyed as the flood moved through the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river systems.
Australian community organisations have expressed support for affected families as relatives wait for information.
The Hindu Council of Australia said it was praying for pilgrims and travellers undertaking the Kailash Yatra and for their safe return. The council said its spiritual carers were available to provide emotional and spiritual support and counselling to people affected by the disaster.
National president Sai Paravastu said the organisation would work with Australian authorities and other agencies on matters concerning the safety and welfare of Australians.
“No family should feel that they have to face this uncertainty alone,” the council said.
The Nepalese Australian Association said the loss of life and destruction in Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading had caused deep distress among Nepalese Australians.
“Although we are far from Nepal, the Nepalese community in Australia stands together with our families, relatives, friends and all Nepalis who are enduring this tragedy,” the association said.
It also acknowledged the work of the Nepalese Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, health workers, volunteers and rescue personnel.
The Victorian Multicultural Commission extended its sympathies to Victoria’s Nepalese community and others affected by the floods. It advised Australians seeking information about relatives to contact the federal government’s 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre.
Wong said the government’s thoughts were with those awaiting news and with Australia’s Nepalese and Tibetan communities.
“I know this is an extremely distressing time, first for those who have loved ones unaccounted for, and we are thinking of them,” she said.
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