Death toll from Nepal flash flood jumps to almost 500; bird flu prompts evacuation of Southern Ocean research station; Canada's Brooks charges up the World Surf League ranks after defeating America's Marks at the Fiji Pro.
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TRANSCRIPT
- Death toll from Nepal flash flood jumps to almost 500
- Bird flu prompts evacuation of Southern Ocean research station
- Canada's Brooks charges up the World Surf League ranks after defeating America's Marks at the Fiji Pro
The death toll from a flash flood on the border between Nepal and Tibet has risen to almost 500.
More than 1,000 people remain missing, of which at least 540 are foreigners - 39 of those missing are Australian.
Both Nepal and China say a glacier collapse sent a huge torrent of rock, ice, mud and debris cascading through Himalayan mountain river systems.
The torrent swept through villages and key infrastructure down a route thronged by trekkers and pilgrims that links Kathmandu with Lhasa in Tibet.
Authorities are warning of a risk of fresh flooding from water pooling in two lakes.
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32-year-old Gaurav Thapa Magar was in Timure, which is near the border with China, when the flood hit.
He tells SBS News he had to act quickly.
"During the incident I was just trying to get down to my office from my room and I was just getting my socks on and I was just about to wear my shoes and at that moment I heard a growling sound and people were all running out here and I was really shocked and I thought of nothing and I jumped out of my room and I ran to safety."
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Members of the Nepali community in Melbourne have gathered at a vigil for the victims of devastating floods.
With over 210,000 Nepali people living in Australia, community leaders say the recent flooding has caused a great deal of distress and chaos for the community.
Volunteer priest at the Australia Nepal Multicultural Centre in Melbourne, Madan Dhungel, says it is difficult to be so far from home.
"Lot of villages, people in the area all swept away, and they could not even run, they couldn't pass the flood coming because in the mountain the slope is so great that the velocity and the amount of the water there pushing, and they could not even (when) they knew, just within couple of minutes before, they could not save themselves because they could not run."
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Staff will temporarily be withdrawn from the Australian Antarctic Division's research station on Macquarie Island, due to the psychosocial risk to expeditioners posed by a likely mass mortality event among seals from bird flu.
There's a large elephant seal population on the island, which is about 1,500km south-east of Tasmania.
24 expeditioners are currently on the island and it's not yet known when it will be safe for them to return.
Australia’s icebreaking research and supply vessel, Nuyina, will travel to the island in early October to retrieve personnel and essential cargo.
Deputy Secretary of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Sean Sullivan, says a system will be set up to monitor conditions on the island while staff are away.
"This is not about the chances of staff getting bird flu, it's really about primarily the psychological risks to staff. Imagine living and working in amongst 2,500 seals within very close proximity, in and around the station and the mass mortality event would cause disruptions in terms of distress of seeing those animals, not being able to help them."
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The H5N1 bird flu has been detected in a dolphin in South Australia.
It's the first known detection in a dolphin in Australia.
South Australian authorities also say bird flu has been found in a red fox at Osborne.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regions says while the detection in the common dolphin is a new development in Australia, there is evidence of dolphins and porpoises catching H5 bird flu overseas.
Dolphins do not commonly eat birds but it is not unusual for them to sometimes interact.
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Canadian teenager Erin Brooks has defeated American Caroline Marks at the Fiji Pro to continue her charge up the World Surf League rankings.
Only three heats were completed on Friday, with Brooks defeating Marks to secure her spot in the final eight.
The three-to-five foot conditions that greeted surfers on Friday didn't last long, meaning Australians Molly Picklum and Isabella Nichols didn't get the chance to compete in their round-of-16 heats.
Hawaiian Bettylou Sakura Johnson, who arrived in Fiji sitting 13th in the rankings, kicked off the day with a convincing win over Brazilian Luana Silva.
