Australian hiker feared missing in Nepal flood zone contacts family while walking toward Kathmandu

An Australian woman previously feared missing in Nepal's flood-hit north has made contact with her family after more than two days without communication. Cara Severino, 25, was reported missing after flash flooding disrupted the Langtang trek area near the China-Nepal border. She is now understood to be hiking toward Kathmandu on foot with a group of Nepali hikers.

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Her parents said she called them on Friday morning to confirm she was safe, after having no phone reception and a flat battery on her own device. They said she had been stranded while hiking the Langtang trek and that communications had gone down during the emergency. The family said she had been able to reach Gosainkunda, where she contacted them briefly before continuing the journey.

Severino is the first of 39 Australians reported missing in the wider disaster to be confirmed safe. Her family said the group is attempting to cover more than 110 kilometres on foot to reach Kathmandu. That journey underlines how badly transport and communications have been affected in the flood zone, where many people remain unaccounted for.

The development comes against the backdrop of a major flood emergency that has already caused heavy loss of life and widespread concern across the region. At least 469 people have been killed and more than 1,500 are missing after the catastrophic flash flood that struck the China-Nepal border on Wednesday. The scale of the disaster has made it difficult for families and authorities to confirm the whereabouts of those caught in the affected trekking routes and remote settlements.

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The Langtang trek is a well-known route in Nepal's mountain tourism sector, and the area can become difficult to access when weather or infrastructure is disrupted. In this case, the loss of communications left relatives without information for days, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the missing Australians. The confirmation that Severino is safe offers one of the first clear signs of progress in tracing people caught up in the flooding.

What remains unclear is how long it will take Severino and the other hikers to reach Kathmandu, and whether further missing Australians will be located safely. It is also not known how many people remain stranded along the route or what assistance they may receive as they travel. The situation is still developing as families await more confirmed news from the flood zone.

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