Australian officials ‘working around the clock’ to check welfare of tourists missing in Nepal

Dfat minister Matt Thistlethwaite says staff are liaising with Kathmandu to find 35 missing Australians, and plans to send emergency team to the region

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The Australian government is urgently seeking information on the welfare of at least 35 Australians missing in Nepal, after a catastrophic flash flood swept through the Nepal-Tibet border region.

Assistant minister for foreign affairs, Matt Thistlethwaite, said on Thursday evening that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) was working around the clock" to verify the status of the missing Australians. The figure is based on reports from the Nepali Tourism Board and officials on the ground.