Australia sends disaster response team to Nepal to assist with flood search and rescue

(Central News Agency, Sydney, comprehensive foreign news report on the 4th) Australian disaster response experts set off for Nepal today to join the search and rescue operation for floods in the Himalayas; 36 Australian citizens are still missing in the floods, and the Australian government has expressed "high concern" for their safety.

Reuters reported that on August 26, a glacier collapse triggered a massive flood on the border between Nepal and China's Tibet. More than 1,200 people have been killed and more than 5,000 people are missing. The Nepalese government stated that 583 of the missing persons are foreign citizens.

Relevant Australian authorities pointed out that at the request of the Nepalese government, Australia dispatched a 15-member disaster assistance response team, most of whom are drone operators from state emergency response departments.

New South Wales Fire and Rescue Service Commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell told the media at Sydney Airport today: "We still hold out hope that there may be survivors in some places and hope that this team can help find them."

"This team is mainly composed of our dedicated drone operators," he said, adding that they are equipped with a variety of drones that can survey large areas from the air and fly in narrow spaces that are difficult for search and rescue personnel to enter.

In addition, seven disaster victim identification experts from the Australian Federal Police are also scheduled to arrive in Nepal tomorrow.