Australia dispatches aid to Nepal as 39 citizens missing

SYDNEY – Australia will provide US$3.6 million (S$4.6 million) in aid for communities hit by floods along the Nepal-China border and deploy extra consular staff to the area, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Aug 28 as the number of missing Australians rose to 39.Flash flooding triggered by a glacier collapse has killed at least 359 people and left nearly 1,000 missing in the region, half of them foreigners.“The extraordinary scale of this disaster and the remoteness of the affected region mean immense challenges lie ahead for the response and recovery,” Wong said in a joint statement with International Development Minister Anne Aly.There were at least 39 Australians missing in the disaster, the statement said, up from a previous estimate of 34.The funds will be split between the United Nations’ World Food Programme and Australian non-governmental organisations.An Australian crisis response specialist has already flown to Kathmandu, while a team of three humanitarian workers will deploy within 48 hours to assist Australian staff already there. REUTERS