Australia dispatches aid to Nepal as 39 citizens missing

Australia will provide $3.6 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 Friday 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 NGOs.

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