The husband of an Australian woman missing after the floods in Nepal and Tibet is calling for better coordination of search efforts in the border region.
Reshma Patel, 46, is one of 11 Australians who had just completed a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash with the Isha Foundation.
The group's last-known location was at the immigration office at the Tibet-Nepal border, minutes before the disaster struck.
Her husband, Bhavin Patel, has flown into Nepal to try to search for her and he said based on phone data he believed she had crossed to Tibet, which is controlled by China.
"Our family is desperately seeking assistance to locate her," he said in a statement.
"We respectfully appeal to Australia, Nepal and China for urgent coordination and continued search efforts in the Gyirong area."
It comes after similar calls from the husband of another woman who was in the group.
Nava Pandey, whose wife Sumi Adhikari is also missing, has asked for "close coordination between the Nepalese and Chinese authorities".
"We respectfully call upon the Chinese government and local authorities to release all available verified information, provide regular updates about the search efforts and establish direct communication with the affected families," he said.
"Families should not be left without answers during such a critical time."
China's state-run English-language newspaper China Daily has published a series of photos of rescue workers clearing debris from a riverbank near the Gyirong border crossing in Tibet.
Press access is heavily restricted in Tibet, with foreign journalists banned from travelling there independently, and information on the floods' aftermath in the region has been difficult to come by.
Security camera footage showing the Gyirong crossing being wiped out by a wall of water surfaced quickly on Wednesday. However, Beijing's censors have since been scrubbed it from the internet inside China.
Nepal's foreign minister has warned of the growing threat climate change poses in the Himalayas, while China is offering satellite and hydrological data following devastating floods on the two countries' shared border.
The US Geological Survey said the disaster on Wednesday near the high-altitude China-Nepal border was caused by a glacial collapse that sent a torrent of debris downstream.
While it is unclear what exact event triggered the collapse, climate change is causing glaciers to melt worldwide, increasing the risks of such disasters.
Nepal's Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said he had spoken by phone with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, and the countries had agreed to increase the sharing of "real-time hydrological data", according to a statement.
Mr Khanal earlier told reporters on Saturday that Nepal needed greater research to "understand the changing dynamics of the Himalayan ecosystem" and the risks they posed to the landlocked country, encircled by India and China.
"We always highlight that Nepal contributes less than, or just about, 0.01 per cent of greenhouse gases, but we, the people of Nepal, are one of the major victims of the changing climate and its impact," Mr Khanal said.
"So we request the global community also to come together to preserve the Himalayan ecosystem."
Reporting by AFP
As efforts to save those trapped under debris and mud continues, there are hope some workers at a hydropower project may be found alive.
Nepali army rescuers broke through to a hydropower tunnel on Saturday and began pumping air and sending a camera inside.
Nepal's government says more than 100 workers may still be alive and trapped inside tunnels at hydropower projects, with rescue efforts focused on the Trishuli 3A and 3B sites.
Those trapped are among 933 hydropower workers missing since a wall of mud and debris swept down on Wednesday morning, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.
Reporting by AFP
In case you missed it, missing Australian hiker Cara Severino was safely located by Australian consular officials yesterday evening after making contact with her parents earlier in the day.
Ms Severino issued a statement thanking her fellow hikers for helping her to safety during the floods.
"Sudha, Lucas, Samir and Saugat. It's thanks to these amazing people I got out safely," she said.
"My heart goes out to all the Nepalese families who are grieving loved ones ... [and] I feel for the families of those still missing. I know how much my family and friends went through."
Good morning. We're continuing our live coverage of the aftermath of Wednesday's devastating floods in Nepal and Tibet.
Nepali and Chinese rescue crews' search efforts resumed yesterday after a brief suspension for bad weather.
The region remains on alert due to the chance of further flooding, however the risk posed by an upstream "barrier lake" has eased, with satellite images showing parts of the lake bed are now visible.
Nearly 3,000 people remain missing, including 41 Australians, and the confirmed death toll is continuing to rise, currently sitting at 669 people in Nepal and seven in Tibet.
Stay with us as we bring you more updates throughout the day.
