Arabic version: ارتفاع عدد الأستراليين المفقودين في فيضانات نيبال إلى 41

According to The Guardian, the number of Australians reported missing after catastrophic flooding in Nepal has risen to 41, with three additional people confirmed unaccounted for overnight. The total had been 38 on Friday evening. Cara Severino, 25, became the first Australian initially reported missing to be confirmed safe after contacting her parents on Friday morning.

Severino told Debbie and Frank Severino that she was hiking from the disaster zone to Kathmandu with a group of Nepali hikers, a journey of more than 110km. Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has received more than 450 calls connected to the disaster and is working with local authorities on consular efforts.

The Red Cross said about 600 people were dead and as many as 93,000 may have been affected by Wednesday’s flash floods on the Nepal-Tibet border. Nepal’s disaster management agency reported 1,924 people unaccounted for, including 517 foreign tourists. By about 7:30pm on Friday, authorities said 121 foreigners had been rescued, none of them Australians.

Rescue operations in Nepal and China resumed on Saturday morning after pauses caused by the threat of further flooding. Australian Nepalese Multicultural Centre vice president Keshav Kadel said the scale of destruction had worsened, with whole towns swept away. Australia is sending four DFAT crisis response team officers and four rapid response team members to Kathmandu, adding to about 20 personnel already working with the Australian embassy there.

Australia has pledged $5m in aid and support, including $2m for the World Food Programme to provide emergency food and water. The remaining funds will go to the Emergency Action Alliance. Foreign affairs minister Penny Wong told Nepali foreign minister Shisir Khanal that Australia would provide further humanitarian assistance for rescue and recovery efforts where required.