Arabic version: العثور على أسترالي حياً عقب فيضانات نيبال-التبت

According to ABC News, one of 38 Australians reported missing after catastrophic floods on the Nepal-China border has been found alive in Tibet six days after the disaster. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it could not provide further details because of privacy obligations.

The Australian has spoken with family members and is receiving support from consular officers. Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said it was hard to imagine the relief felt by the person’s loved ones after an “incredibly harrowing few days”.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Australian citizen was not in the “epicentre of the disaster” and had already contacted the Australian Embassy in China. The ministry said Chinese authorities were making every effort to find and rescue missing people, including Chinese and foreign nationals.

More than 4,400 people remain missing across affected areas, where search and rescue operations continue along the Nepal-China border. Teams are working through mud, rock and debris in hard-to-reach locations, after the first 72-hour period that experts describe as the best window for finding survivors without clean water.

Another Australian, Cara Severino, was safely located in Nepal on the weekend. Wong said the government must remain realistic about the days ahead as concerns grow for people still unaccounted for. Australia has increased humanitarian assistance for Nepal to $8 million, with much of the funding directed to hygiene kits and solar lights. Assistant Foreign Minister Matt Thistlethwaite said power and telecommunications infrastructure had been wiped out, and the Australian Defence Force would transport the kits in coming days.