Nepal-Tibet flood disaster wrap: Fears grow as number of missing Aussies climbs to 41, death toll hits 626

The number of Australians unaccounted for in Nepal has risen to 41 as rescuers battle treacherous conditions and dangerous terrain left in the catastrophic floods’ path of destruction.

The latest figure is up from 39 Australians reported missing on Friday. It does not include Australian woman, Cara Severino, who made contact with her parents, Debbie and Frank on Friday after fears for her safety grew.

Those Australians form the total number of people who are missing across Nepal and Tibet, which surged to 2,478 on Saturday morning local time.

The devastating disaster has so far claimed the lives of at least 626 people, an increase from a earlier reports saying the death toll was at 579.

Chinese state media reports 554 nationals are still missing in Tibet and seven have been found dead. It in so clear whether the figures from Tibet overlap with the numbers being recorded in Nepal.

Family’s heartbreak as Brisbane dad latest Aussie to be identified as missing

A Brisbane father and member of the Royal Australian Air Force is the latest Australian who has been identified as missing in Nepal after floods tore through the region.

Karan Bhardwaj, 40, was travelling with Kailash Journey’s tour group when the disaster hit on Wednesday morning.

His family said Mr Bhardwaj is “an Australian, a proud member of the Australian Defence Force, and a beloved father of one, brother, uncle, brother-in-law and friend to many”.

They described the agony they are experiencing as they are “desperately waiting for news and praying” for his safe return.

The family said they had not heard from Mr Bhardwaj or his two friends, Arpan Mithalal Kothari and Bhavin Raval, since the catastophe struck.

“We are praying with everything we have that Karan and his friends are safe and that they will be brought home.”

A light in the dark

Cara Severino’s safe contact has offered a glimmer of hope amid a dark time in Nepal, with Assistant Immigration Minister Matt Thistlethwaite saying he hopes it is a sign of more miracles to come.

“We haven’t given up hope at all,” he said on Saturday.

“That’s why we’ve sent our experts that are trained in these situations around hopefully, recovery to go to the region.

“And that story about Cara is quite remarkable.”

But Mr Thistlethwaite stressed the dangerous terrain is proving “difficult” for rescue operations.

Australia sends more help to emergency zone

“People would have seen the footage, which is a truly horrific event. At this point, Nepal is a developing country. It doesn’t have the resources that an event like that would have in Australia, so information is difficult,” Mr Albanese said.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the government was working to establish the whereabouts of Australians caught up in catastrophe.

“We are urgently working to identify how many Australians have been in the region and to confirm the welfare of any Australians who are not accounted for,” she said.

Meanwhile, NSW Premier Chris Minns has thrown his support behind the families of the 41 missing Australians.

“Our heart bleeds for them,” he said.

“I imagine their families back in Australia are incredibly worried, and as the days go on and the prospects of finding them become more and more dim, that anxiety would get worse and worse.

“I want them to know that the people of NSW and Australia are with them.”

Dramatic scenes as rescuers race to find survivors

Confronting video has emerged of powerful floodwaters barrelling around a building in Nepal as a group of fearful people huddled on the balcony.

The footage captured the extraordinary force of the water as it surged through areas that were once populated communities.

Elsewhere in Nepal, army soldiers waded through thick mud and debris in a desperate race to free workers who were trapped inside a tunnel at a hydroplant.

Dramatic vision posted online by Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah showed the moment rescuers pulled the trapped people from the tunnel.

Rescue efforts across the devastated region are expected to remain difficult with mudslides and destroyed infrastructure hampering access to some of the worst-hit areas.