SYDNEY, Australia, Aug 28, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong acknowledged Friday it was "difficult" to locate citizens out of contact in Nepal following deadly flooding.

The number of Australian nationals missing following the floods has risen to 39, Wong told the Today Show. "We know many people have been killed, many people are missing and the scale of the disaster is quite horrific," Wong said.

Australia's foreign ministry has about 20 people on the ground in Nepal, she said, and will "build on that over the coming days". The country will spend Aus$5 million ($3.6 million) on humanitarian assistance for flood relief, she added.