Wild footage has captured the moment an ABC news crew in disaster-ravaged Nepal was forced to flee to avoid rising river waters.
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‘Let’s get out’: Moment ABC crew forced to flee rising river in Nepal as flood disaster toll rises
Wild footage has captured the moment an ABC news crew in disaster-ravaged Nepal was forced to flee to avoid rising river waters.
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September 1, 2026 – 1:27AM
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Moment TV crew flee rising waters
An ABC crew has been forced to flee rising waters in Nepal, as the fallout from the flash…
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An ABC report turned into a rush for safety as fresh panic spread through Nepal’s flood zone, with locals warning the river was rising and forcing everyone, including the news crew, to run.
What started as a report by journalist Rachel Clayton on the aftermath quickly became another sign of the danger still facing communities hit by the floods.
The death toll in the devastating flood has now reached 939 with around 4000 people missing. It’s thought as many as 900 workers at hydro-electric power stations – many of those workers potentially stuck in tunnels – are among this missing.
Reporting from the ground for 7.30, teh ABC’s Clayton had been describing growing health concerns, with “an awful smell here, possibly of dead bodies, dead animals”, when the warning came through.
“Let’s get out. They’re saying the water is rising again,” Clayton can be heard saying as people race for higher ground.
ABC journalist Rachel Clayton had to flee mid-report after locals warned the water was rising again. Picture: ABC
The scene showed how dangerous conditions remain after floods destroyed homes, cut off roads and left families searching through mud for anything they could recover.
In one riverside area, a woman returned to what was left of her home and clothing shop, now covered in mud and rubble.
At least 12 power stations were damaged during the floods.
The Associated Press has reported that 900 power workers are unaccounted for on the Nepal side of the border area. Of those, as many as 500 could be in tunnels with dwindling access to oxygen, with fears many many not be alive at all.
“These tunnels are big enough to drive trucks through,” Jakob Steiner, a geoscientist at the University of Graz in Austria based in Dhaka, Bangladesh told AP.
“And from what we understand, they have managed to get oxygen to some of those stuck inside and are trying to rescue them now. It’s a race for time, though, as people need food and water.”
Survivors in Nepal are returning to mud-covered homes to search for anything they can salvage. Picture: ABC
Rescue efforts are continuing, but fears of another surge are making the job harder.
Two new lakes have formed near the glacier collapse site high in the Himalayas, raising the risk of more water flowing into the Trishuli River downstream.
With roads badly damaged, helicopters have become the fastest way to move supplies and emergency workers.
Acting Prime Minister Penny Wong described the crisis as “devastating” and warned there were “grave fears, grave concerns” for the safety of 43 missing Australians.
“We’ve been working around the clock to get information, to seek to confirm the whereabouts of Australians and to support the crisis response,” Ms Wong, who appeared on 7.30 on Monday, said.
She also stressed how hard it had been to get clear information from affected areas, describing Nepal as “devastated” and the search effort as “a very difficult situation” because of the terrain, the scale of destruction and the huge number of people missing.
Ms Wong told the broadcaster Nepal’s government had been “extremely helpful to all foreign nationals” and confirmed Australia had deployed extra personnel and humanitarian aid, including an RAAF flight carrying shelter kits, hygiene kits and solar lights requested by authorities.
More than 4000 people were missing and about 900 had been confirmed dead.
As authorities continue trying to account for missing Australians, some families are now facing the reality that their loved ones will not be coming home.
Australian man Michael Keats, pictured with his partner Emily Boyd, was killed in the Nepal floods.
The heartbroken partner of an Australian man killed in the Nepal floods has been invited to India to attend a sacred ritual honouring him.
Michael Keats, from the NSW South Coast, had reached the Nepal-Tibet border with a travel group moments before disaster struck.
His family first thought he was safe, however, quickly learned he was unaccounted for.
“Unfortunately, it was confirmed relatively quickly by the Isha Foundation that Michael and his Kailash travel group had arrived at Gyirong Port on the Nepal-Tibet border just 10 minutes before the tragic floods hit,” his family said in a statement.
His partner, yoga instructor Emily Boyd, said Mr Keats was an incredibly important part of her family.
“He was … my young son’s stepfather, … he was the only father he has ever known. His loss has changed everything for both of us,” she said on GoFundMe.
“We are trying to navigate the shock and grief of losing someone we love deeply, while also suddenly having to face life without the person who was such an important part of our family and our household.”
Michael Keats, from the NSW South Coast, had reached the Nepal-Tibet border moments before disaster struck.
Ms Boyd has been invited to take part in a sacred Sadhguru yoga and spiritual ritual to honour Mr Keats in India and has set up a fundraiser to make the journey.
“For us, this journey carries deep spiritual meaning, and being able to participate would mean so much during this incredibly difficult time,” she said.
In Melbourne, crowds gathered for a candlelight vigil for the missing and deceased.
Victorian Premier Ben Carroll was among those attending.
Victorian Premier Ben Carroll at a candlelight vigil held in memory of those who list their lives in the recent floods and disasters in Nepal, at Federation Square in Melbourne. Picture: NewsWire/Brendan Beckett
Pundit Narayan and Pandit Bikash create a Nepalese flag with rice at the vigil. Picture: NewsWire/Brendan Beckett
Dozens of Aussies remain unaccounted for in Nepal. Picture: NewsWire/Brendan Beckett
Forty-three Australians missing in Nepal
The number of Australians missing after the devastating Nepal flash floods rose again overnight to 43 as the desperate search continues for the thousands of people still unaccounted for.
Foreign Affairs Assistant Minister Matt Thistlethwaite said authorities remained hopeful of rescuing the 43 Australians still unaccounted for and returning them home safely.
“Our embassy staff in Kathmandu are working around the clock, and we’ve actually sent an additional 12 personnel to Kathmandu to assist,” Mr Thistlethwaite said.
“Yesterday, our ambassador in Kathmandu spent most of the day sitting with and talking to the relatives of Australians who are in the region, hoping their loved ones will be returned safely. So we’re doing everything we can to try and locate them.”
DFAT has sent a delegation of staff to Nepal in an effort to track down missing Aussies. Picture: NewsWire Handout/ World Vision
The identities of the 35 missing Australians initially reported missing were published by Nepalese authorities last week.
One of those people, solo traveller Cara Severino, 26, has been found safe and sound so far.
At least five Australians were inside a six-storey hotel Nepalese hotel when the flood hit.
Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, Sagar Pandey – who runs the US-based Himalayan Glacier tour group – said at least five of the 15 travellers on the tour were at the Kailash Hotel on the Nepal-China border.
The Trekkers’ Society (Isha Foundation)
A group of 11 Australians linked to the Isha Foundation, a non-profit organisation with origins in yoga and Hinduism, were believed to be inside an immigration building at the Nepal-Tibet border crossing with guides from The Trekkers’ Society when the flood struck.
The Australians, which include Sydney engineer and father-of-two Bharat Mangwani and Sunshine Coast disability worker Renee Spry, were among a multinational group of 92 pilgrims.
Bharat Mangwani and Renee Spry were part of the same trekking group. Picture: supplied
Alongside them were Epping-based Sydney couple Uday and Kripa Shivamurthy.
On Sunday, The Trekkers Society staff took a helicopter ride over the site where their tour group was last seen.
“The helicopter could not land in the affected area because of the difficult conditions,” a spokesman said.
01:15
Helicopter surveys Nepal flood wreckage
Trekkers Society staff have…
“Therefore, the team carried out aerial surveillance from the helicopter to check the area around the Nepal side of the Nepal-China immigration border. We are continuing our efforts to collect clear and verified information about the situation.”
Himalayan Glacier
Fifteen Australians were on their way to Mount Kailash in Tibet as part of a pilgrimage with the Himalayan Glacier tour group.
Sridharan Iyer and his wife Lakshmi, from Cherrybrook in Sydney’s north, were travelling with their two sons Rudhra, 20, and Rishabh, 23, when their family lost contact with them.
Four members of the Muralitharan family – brothers Ashwin and Aarush Muralitharan, aged 11 and 14, and their parents Shylaja and Chandrasekaran – were also with the group at the time contact was lost.
Rudhra Iyer (centre) is a West Pennant Hills cricket player. Picture: West Pennant hill Cherry Brook Cricket Club.
A Himalayan Glacier spokesman told NewsWire on Monday morning there had been no news of any Australians from the group being found.
Kailash Journeys
A group of six Australians joined 26 international travellers and five Nepali guides to begin their pilgrimage to Lake Manasarovar and Mount Kailash when tour operator Kailash Journeys lost contact with them.
Among the group were Queensland woman Kanagamah Sundrasan and Melbourne couple Siddharthi Kumari Sahu and Sandeep Mohapatra.
A map of the flood path shows the scale of destruction caused across multiple valley communities. Picture: Nepal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority
Kailash Journeys posted an image of the tour group on Sunday, appealing to the public for assistance in locating them.
“Following the devastating flash flood, we have been unable to reach this group and are working urgently with local authorities and rescue teams to establish their whereabouts,” a spokesman said.
Solo travellers and other organisations
Ms Serevino is the only Australian to have been located alive so far.
In a statement, Ms Severino’s parents Debbie and Frank thanked the Australian consulate staff for finding her, while offering prayers for the thousands caught up in the disaster.
“Seeing Cara’s name appear on my message bank, hearing her voice and now seeing her photo and speaking with her has been the most miraculous gift,” they said in statement.
Cara Severino, 26, made contact with her parents after being feared missing the Nepal floods. Picture: Instagram
“We are incredibly thankful to the Australian Consular Response teams for locating her bringing her to safety and for the care they are giving her and all the amazing work they are doing to locate others.
“We are so grateful to her Nepalese hiking partners who saw her through a harrowing several days of hiking in very difficult terrain, so thankful that they have all made it to safety.”
Brisbane-based early childhood professional Narayan Panthi is the only Australian to have been travelling with Kathmandu Holiday.
Brisbane man Narayan Panthi has been missing since August 26. Picture: Facebook
Mr Panthi was lifestreaming on the day of the flood, and just one day earlier he posted on Facebook about his excitement for the journey ahead.
“Considering ‘Live in the Present’ as the main mantra for the next 9 days, I will try to enjoy nature, culture and spiritual pleasure as much as possible,” he said.
More to come
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