Four more Australians have been confirmed safe following the catastrophic Nepal-Tibet floods, reducing the number of Australians still unaccounted for to 38. Five Australians have now been located safe since yesterday morning, offering a rare piece of good news as search and recovery operations continue across the devastated region.
Australian authorities have confirmed that four more citizens have been found safe after days of uncertainty following the deadly flooding along the Nepal-Tibet border.
The development means the number of Australians still unaccounted for has been revised down to 38.
The ABC understands those confirmed safe today had not been in contact with their families or next of kin since the disaster struck, meaning their welfare could not initially be verified.
Five Australians found safe since yesterday
The latest confirmation follows another positive development yesterday, bringing the number of Australians located safe since then to five.
For families who had been waiting without news, the confirmation ends days of uncertainty.
But concern remains extremely high for the 38 Australians whose whereabouts are still unknown.
Search efforts have been complicated by destroyed roads, damaged communications infrastructure and the difficulty of reaching remote parts of the disaster zone.
RAAF humanitarian flight due in Nepal
A Royal Australian Air Force aircraft carrying humanitarian and disaster-relief supplies is due to arrive in Nepal at around 10am local time today.
Australia has already deployed personnel and assistance to support the broader humanitarian response.
Officials continue to work with Nepali and Chinese authorities to establish the whereabouts of missing Australians and provide consular assistance to those located.
Search continues for 38 Australians
The latest news provides some relief, but the emergency is far from over.
Thousands of people remain missing across the affected region and rescue teams continue to operate in extremely difficult conditions.
For the families of the 38 Australians still unaccounted for, the new confirmations will offer hope that others may also be alive but cut off from communications.
Four more Australians are safe. Now the search continues for the 38 still missing.
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