Australia sends aid to Nepal as 43 citizens remain unaccounted for
Australia has dispatched a military aircraft carrying relief supplies to Nepal following devastating flooding, while 43 Australians remain missing. Foreign Minister Penny Wong says she holds grave concerns for their safety.
A Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) flight is departing for Nepal this morning carrying hygiene kits, shelter materials and solar lights, in response to the catastrophic flash flooding that struck the Nepal-Tibet border region.
Foreign Affairs Minister and Acting Prime Minister Penny Wong said grave concerns remain for 43 Australians still unaccounted for. More than 4,400 people remain missing on both sides of the border, with over 930 deaths confirmed.
Speaking on ABC's 7.30 program, Wong said the federal government is urgently working to establish the whereabouts of the missing Australians. Australia has so far provided $8m in aid, while members of the public have donated $2m to a relief appeal — an amount the government has pledged to match.
Wong said the supplies being flown out are intended for people whose homes and infrastructure were destroyed by the disaster. Nine of the 43 missing Australians were on the Chinese side of the border at the time of the flooding. She acknowledged that search and recovery efforts remain extremely difficult, and expressed sympathy for the families and friends of those unaccounted for.
Community mourns in Melbourne
Members of Melbourne's Nepali and Tibetan communities gathered at Federation Square for a candlelight vigil to honour victims of the disaster. About 400 people attended the event, organised by the Victorian branch of the Non-Resident Nepali Association, including Victorian Premier Ben Carroll, who announced the state government would donate $100,000 toward Australia's relief efforts in Nepal.
The overall death toll from the flooding has been reported at more than 810 people, though other figures put confirmed deaths above 930.
