As the death toll in Nepal continues to rise following the devastating earthquake that hit on 25 April, the lives of nearly 350 Australians in the area are still unaccounted for.
Only 549 Australians registered their travel to Nepal on the government website Smart Traveller. The Australian Embassy in Nepal has confirmed the safety of over 200 people. However, the total number of people, including those who did not register, could be higher.
Since the disaster, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has taken more than 1400 calls from family and friends of missing Australians. The death toll in Nepal has already topped 4000 people, and humanitarian aid is flooding to the capital.
The Australian Government is working with the US and Japan on a search and rescue effort.
Australia has pledged $5 million in assistance, including $2.5 million to assist Australian non-government organisations, $2 million to support United Nations partners and $500,000 thousand to support the Australian Red Cross.
Australians travelling overseas have been urged to register their travel on Smartraveller.gov.au, a government website designed to help locate travellers overseas in the event of an emergency. The website also provides information to travellers about travel warnings, having a safe trip and travel insurance.
