Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia will give a further 15 million dollars for Nepal's flood recovery as she meets Nepali Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal in Melbourne. Officials are still seeking 34 missing Australians.
Australia will provide a further 15 million dollars for Nepal's recovery from recent floods, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on 8 October. She was due to welcome Nepali Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal in Melbourne the same day. The ministers were also set to discuss missing Australians and the wider relationship.
The extra money is for rebuilding destroyed infrastructure, restoring essential services and strengthening early-warning systems, the minister's office said. It follows 11 million dollars already given for immediate response, including relief through Australian non-governmental organisations, the World Food Programme and other groups, plus specialist drone support for search and rescue.
Australians have donated more than 20 million dollars since 26 August to appeals by the Emergency Action Alliance, the Red Cross and other major Australian organisations, the release said. More than 200,000 people of Nepali heritage live in Australia, it noted.
Officials are still working with authorities in Nepal and China for information on 34 Australians who remain unaccounted for, and to support their families. The release did not give a new count of people found.
The announcement is an aid package and a scheduled meeting. It is not a final accounting of the floods or a change in the search status of the missing Australians.
People Sentiments Neutral
- Wong's office said the period remains extremely difficult for families of Australians who are still unaccounted for.