Nepal floods: Penny Wong confirms 39 Australians missing as more officials deployed to disaster zone

The number of Australians missing in the catastrophic Nepal floods has risen to 39 as Foreign Minister Penny Wong reveals four more Aussies have been caught up in the disaster and Australia deploys additional teams to the region.

The Australians are among up to 1500 people yet to be located following the devastating floods across Nepal and neighbouring Tibet, with the death toll climbing to 389.

Senator Wong confirmed on Friday morning the number of missing Australians had increased from the 35 reported by Nepalese authorities on Thursday.

“Well, unfortunately, the number of Australians who are missing and not accounted for has risen to 39. So that’s in addition to the tour groups that I talked about yesterday. We have now ascertained four more Australians who were not travelling with those tours,” Senator Wong said.

“We are urgently working to ascertain their whereabouts, to confirm their well-being, and we are deploying more resources into the region because, as you can see from the footage, it really is a very, very difficult situation.”

The update comes as Nepal and China confront a dangerous new threat, with newly formed lakes at risk of bursting and potentially unleashing further flooding across the already devastated Himalayan region.

Australia sends more officials as search intensifies

Australia has deployed additional personnel to Nepal as authorities desperately try to establish the whereabouts of the missing Australians.

Senator Wong said about 20 Australian personnel were now on the ground, with additional teams being deployed to assist with consular services and the humanitarian response.

“Well, we’ve got to do three things. The first is to do everything we can to find the Australians. The second is to get more Australian officers into the region. So we’ve deployed additional officers. We’ve got about 20 people on the ground in Nepal, deploying additional teams to both help with consular services,” she said.

“That is helping Australians on the ground, but also to help with the humanitarian response.”

Australia has also announced a $5 million assistance package for the disaster.

Of that, $2 million will go to the World Food Programme, another $2 million will be delivered through Australian organisations assisting on the ground and $1 million will go towards the Emergency Action Alliance.

“And the third thing is to provide assistance. We’ve announced, $5 million, 2 million will go to the World Food Programme, 2 million will be delivered by Australian organisations who can assist on the ground. And we have $1 million towards what’s called Emergency Action Alliance,” Senator Wong said.

New lakes spark fears of another disaster

The search is unfolding against a fresh threat in the Himalayas after lakes formed behind debris blocking rivers following the initial catastrophe.

Nepal’s disaster authority has warned one lake at the flood site is continuing to rise, raising fears the natural barrier could fail and suddenly unleash the accumulated water downstream.

“Residents of the lower banks ... passengers, rescuers engaged in rescue operations, and all concerned are requested to exercise special caution and stay in safe places away from the river banks and risky areas,” the authority said.

Some rescue workers began moving towards higher ground following the warning.

China is facing a similar danger across the border, where aerial footage has shown brown water accumulating behind a barrier of rocks and debris with no visible outlet.

Three million cubic metres of water expected

Chinese authorities have warned three million cubic metres of water — equivalent to about 1200 Olympic swimming pools — is expected to flow into the already dammed lake over three days.

The additional water could significantly increase the risk of the natural barrier failing, with peak flow expected on Tuesday.

Forecast rainfall over the coming week could further increase the danger.

“The volume of water is continuing to increase, and so is the risk,” Zhu Jinfeng, a researcher at the water resources ministry’s hydrology department, told state broadcaster CCTV.

Senator Wong said Australian travel advice would continue to be updated as authorities receive new information.

“We will keep updating travel advice as information comes in. So what I have said is Australians in the region. Please make sure you look at the travel advice. Please make sure you listen and act in accordance with the advice of local authorities,” she said.

“The situation is obviously very difficult and very challenging. We’ll certainly provide whatever information we can. Obviously, information can be very patchy in the context of this disaster.”

Up to 1500 people yet to be located

The scale of the catastrophe continues to grow, with up to 1500 people yet to be located across the affected region and the death toll now standing at 389.

The missing include hundreds of foreign nationals who were travelling through Nepal and Tibet when the floods struck.

Search and rescue teams continue to comb devastated valleys and hillsides, while destroyed roads and infrastructure are making access to some areas extremely difficult.

The increasing number of missing Australians comes after authorities had previously identified groups travelling through the region when disaster struck.

Senator Wong said the four additional Australians now unaccounted for were not travelling with those tour groups.

Glacier collapse blamed for catastrophe

Authorities have attributed the initial flooding to a massive ice and rock avalanche in the Himalayas.

A glacier collapse is believed to have sent huge amounts of rock, ice, mud and debris crashing into mountain river systems before devastating flooding surged through communities downstream.

The debris is also believed to have created the unstable natural dams now threatening to unleash further flooding.

For rescuers, the emerging threat adds another layer of danger to an already desperate operation, as teams race to locate hundreds of missing people — including 39 Australians — while authorities monitor the possibility of another major flood.