Australia news LIVE: NSW man first Australian declared dead in Nepal as death toll of flood exceeds 900; Trump vows to ‘hit Iran hard’ as tensions in the Middle East escalate

A West Australian man is missing in Nepal after being caught in a glacial flood disaster while returning to Kathmandu on the final day of a pilgrimage trek. Luke Costanzo, 30, was traveling with a group that last made contact at the Gyirong Port border crossing between China and Nepal, according to a statement released by his family on Tuesday afternoon. The Gyirong Port area was the first to be hit by the flood, caused by a glacial collapse that sent water and debris across the border region on August 26. Costanzo had been in Tibet visiting Mount Kailash with the Isha Foundation, the family statement said. “It is with heavy hearts that we share our dear son and brother, Luke Costanzo, is one of the Australians still unaccounted for in Nepal following the flooding disaster last week,” the family said. “Luke is an extremely strong, compassionate, disciplined and spiritual person. Once he makes a decision he commits to it fully and he was so excited to be visiting Mount Kailash on a pilgrimage trek with the Isha Foundation.” The family expressed gratitude for the support they have received and urged people to keep Luke and others affected by the disaster in their thoughts and prayers. They suggested donations to aid those on the ground assisting with rescue efforts. Earlier on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced that a second Australian missing in the disaster had been found safe on the Tibet side of the border, but there were “grave concerns” for the 42 citizens still unaccounted for. The person, who was not identified by the government, was contacted by Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials. Wong acknowledged the relief felt by the families of those found but emphasized the need to remain realistic about the challenges ahead. More than 1,000 people have died in the disaster, while more than 4,400 are missing in Nepal and Tibet. Among those missing are about 800 foreign nationals. Australian Cara Severino, 26, made contact with her parents on Friday after two days hiking through the area. However, NSW hiker Michael Keats was confirmed to have died in the tragedy. Like Costanzo, Keats was returning from a journey to Mount Kailash and had reached the border crossing into Nepal when the disaster struck. In an online fundraiser, his partner Emily Boyd said his loss “had changed everything for my son and me.” Six more Australians have been identified as missing in the Nepalese floods, raising the total number to 41. Bharat Mangwani, Karan Bhardwaj, Arpan Kothari, Bhavin Raval, Michael Ryan Keats and Gopi Agastya were all identified after family members reached out or posted on social media. No Australians have been listed as rescued according to the Nepalese National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, with Australians accounting for the highest number of foreign nationals missing. Friends of missing Sydneysider Bharat Mangwani said they held out hope that some Australians were still alive and might be stuck in a building or under the mud. Mangwani’s last known location was at the Gyirong Immigration Facility, which was inundated with floodwater in the early stages of the disaster. Like many Australians caught in the tragedy, he was taking part in a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar as part of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra. The family of Royal Australian Air Force member Karan Bhardwaj is pleading for information after losing contact with the Brisbane father, who was traveling with tour group Kailash Journeys when the flash floods hit. Bhardwaj was traveling with friends Arpan Kothari, 40, and Bhavin Raval, 41. The Brisbane-based trio have not been heard from since and are among six Australians currently missing from the Kailash Journeys tour group. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade stated that 41 Australians are now missing, up from 38 missing the previous day. The new figure does not include Cara Severino, 26, whose parents confirmed she had made contact and was alive. Fifteen of the missing Australians were traveling with the Himalayan Glacier Adventure and Travel Kailash Group, six others were traveling with the Kailash Journeys tour group, and 11 were on a pilgrimage with the Isha Foundation. The whereabouts of one traveler with Kathmandu Holiday Tours and Travel, and six other Australian travelers remain unknown. Indian-Australian community leader Vasan Srinivasan said the other 14 missing Australians from the Himalayan Glacier pilgrimage were Sydney-based members of a cultural and religious non-profit he founded called the Australia Bharatha Brahman Samajam. He said those missing worked in various professions, including the financial industry, and many were his close professional friends. Search and rescue efforts are continuing at several locations in Nepal and China’s Tibet, including the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project in Nepal’s Rasuwa district and the severely damaged Gyirong border crossing on the Chinese side. Poor weather temporarily hampered aerial rescue operations in Nepal as the search for thousands of missing people entered its fourth day. Nepali Army spokesperson Brigadier General Raja Ram Basnet said rescue efforts would continue at the hydropower construction site, where authorities believe more than 100 people are trapped in a tunnel filled with thick mud. Rescuers had used baskets and ropes to reach some people, but the operation remained difficult because of the mud up to 1.5 meters thick and the limited number of places where helicopters could land. Rescuers remain on high alert for more flooding from a new lake that formed high up in the Himalayan mountain. Meanwhile, the family of Luke Costanzo continues to hope for a miracle as the search for survivors continues.