Number of Australians missing in Nepal floods rises to 43 as Canberra sends more aid

Australia's foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has confirmed the government will send an extra $3m in aid to Nepal, bringing the total assistance package to $8m. Of the new funding, $2m will be coordinated through the Australian Defence Force to deliver hygiene kits, solar lighting and other emergency supplies requested by Nepal's government, with the Royal Australian Air Force set to transport the first shipment from Queensland in the coming days. A further $1m will go to the Emergency Action Alliance appeal, which has already raised $1.4m from public donations.

Fourteen Australian personnel, including crisis response staff, consular officers and federal police, are currently on the ground in Kathmandu, with two more due to deploy this week. Assistant foreign affairs minister Matt Thistlethwaite said Australian personnel still cannot access the flood-hit area, as roads remain cut off and most telecommunications infrastructure is down, with around eight power stations affected. Australia has also offered support to the Chinese government, since six Australians are missing on the Chinese side of the border, though Beijing has said it does not currently require that assistance.

The number of Australians unaccounted for in the disaster has risen to 43, with the department of foreign affairs receiving more than 650 related calls. Nepali and Chinese authorities confirmed on Sunday that at least 810 people have died, while more than 3,000 remain missing following a massive glacier collapse in the Himalayas last Wednesday that triggered flash floods engulfing the Gyirong port on the Nepal-China border.

Separately, Oscar Jenkins, an Australian man sentenced to 13 years in a Russian prison after fighting for Ukraine's military, gave his first interview since his conviction. He said he joined Ukrainian forces in 2024 because he felt it was the right thing to do. Foreign minister Penny Wong has described the trial as a "sham" and said Jenkins should be treated as a prisoner of war entitled to protections under international humanitarian law.