An Australian family of four medical tourists remains missing in Nepal's Himalayas after devastating flash floods struck the region last Wednesday, with a relative revealing that 20-year-old medical student Rudhra texted a friend just 15 minutes before the disaster saying his family was "stuck" and expecting a landslide. The case highlights the scale of the ongoing humanitarian crisis, as Australia deploys further personnel, drone operators and firefighters to assist in the search, while officials warn that hope is fading the longer those unaccounted-for remain missing.

The missing Iyer family – Rudra, 20, Rishab, 23, Lakshmi, 49, and Sreedharan, 52 – were last known to be in the Syabrubesi region after leaving their hotel that morning, and relative Anand Easwaran has travelled to Nepal to retrace their steps, holding onto hope after a group member's phone pinged higher up the mountain later that day. The disaster's death toll has reached 1,252, with 4,798 people still missing, including at least 38 Australians; six Australians have been confirmed rescued, among them Cara Severino, who escaped by tractor. Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed additional aid, including 15 drone operators and firefighters from New South Wales and Queensland, would join the 19 Australians already deployed.