Cara Severino’s first emotional words after being rescued to safety in Nepal
Missing Australian hiker Cara Severino has been found safe after the devastating flash flooding and landslides in Nepal.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trading (DFAT) confirmed on Saturday night that they had reached the 26-year-old by four-wheel-drive and she’s now on her way back to Kathmandu.
Missing Australian hiker Cara Severino with DFAT officials after her rescue in Nepal Supplied/DFAT
Severino thanked crews who “made their way through a national park on a tractor”, in a statement issued following her rescue alongside a group photo.
“Thanks to them I got out safely,” she said.
“My heart goes out to all the Nepalese hikers who lost their lives and towns.
“I feel for the families of those still missing, I know how much my family and friends went through.”
Cara Severino, 26, made contact with her parents on Friday morning while hiking in a disaster struck region of Nepal. Supplied
Severino had briefly contacted her parents on Friday morning.
She had been hiking the Langtang Trek when the disaster struck and managed to reach the town of Gosainkunda alongside a group of Nepalese hikers.
DFAT has received more than 450 consular calls regarding the disaster.
Authorities are racing against the clock to find survivors, including 41 missing Australians, with more rain expected to fall across the weekend.
Rescue efforts in communities buried by the catastrophic flash floods in the border region have entered their fourth day, with astonishing tales of survival continuing to emerge.
However, amid the rescues, the death toll continues to rise.
Nepali authorities updated their figures on Saturday, saying the combined death toll in Nepal and Tibet is now at least 633 dead and nearly 3000 people missing. Chinese authorities have reported seven deaths and more than 550 missing.
Australian help on the ground
A four-person crisis response team is set to land in Kathmandu on Saturday to bolster consular operations on the ground.
That is in addition to the about 20 Australian personnel already providing immediate help.
The deployment follows a call between Foreign Minister Penny Wong and her Nepali counterpart, with Australia pledging further humanitarian assistance to the region.
The vow to assist comes as UNICEF workers struggle to access the worst-affected parts of the region to help children caught up in the tragedy.
The agency said that 17,000 children are among those impacted, and it has launched a $AUD23.7 million appeal to support relief efforts.
The International Red Cross reported that at least 93,000 people in total “have been affected and are in great need”.
Death toll rises as lake poses new flood threat
Fears of further carnage have grown after a lake in Nepal’s flood-devastated Rasuwa district broke its banks on Friday afternoon.
According to Reuters, local officials received urgent notices that the lake had breached its natural barrier.
“We can see that the water level in the river is rising,” said Narendra Pariyar, the district’s senior bureaucrat.
The fresh fears come as the official death toll rose to at least 579 in Nepal and seven in neighboring Tibet. Getty Images
Smartraveller updated its travel warnings on Friday night for the region near the Nepal-China border around the Rasuwagadhi-Gyirong crossing.
“There remains a high risk of further flooding, landslides, and debris flows in affected areas,” the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade warned.
“Continued heavy rainfall may worsen conditions, causing rivers and lakes to overflow. Conditions can change rapidly with little warning.”
SOURCE: 9 NEWS
https://www.nine.com.au/australia-news/nsw/australian-missing-tally-rises-in-nepal-as-crisis-team-heads-to-kathmandu-20260829-p60sle.html
