Jacob Phillips
Live reporter

As we've just reported, a barrier lake which formed after the flash floods on Wednesday is draining naturally, according to Chinese state media.

A climate expert tells me engineers face a "big undertaking" to make the lake safe - as fears rise that it may have burst its banks.

Liz Stephens, a professor in Climate Risks and Resilience at the University of Reading, explains that usually in more accessible areas a disaster prevention agency would pump out the lake or possibly use explosives to make channels to help drain the area.

But she tells me that the barrier lake is "an extreme case" in a very remote area.

While there are suggestions that some water has escaped naturally from the area, Stephens says due to its fragility the area should be evacuated.

The professor explains that the debris which created a damn and helped create the lake "is not particularly stable".

Stephens also warns that once there is a landslide the land nearby also becomes less stable and there could be further slips.

Monsoon rains, temperatures rising and intense ice melts are some of the factors which could lead to further issues, she adds.

A barrier lake which formed following flash flooding has been largely cleared, according to Chinese state media.

Chinese Central TV (CCTV) reports the barrier lake is draining naturally, citing the Ministry of Water Resources' hydrological monitoring team.

Earlier Chinese state media reported that there was a risk of secondary mudslides or landslides after debris from the flash floods formed a lake.

Liz Stephens, a professor in Climate Risk and Resilience at the University of Reading, also observed that water levels appeared to have started to fall on Friday, suggesting some water had escaped naturally - rather than by human intervention.

She says: "That’s very promising, it reduces the imminent threat and may reduce the need to intervene with an engineering solution, to drain the lake artificially."

But Stephens warns the debris which has formed a dam will remain unstable. She explains that the flood had "enormous erosional power" and could have created an unstable landscape, warning that it is critically important to monitor for further landslides.

An aid worker has described the "absolutely devastating" scale of destruction near Nuwakot in Nepal.

"The situation is growing worse by the hour," Lok Chaudhary, a local partner with the charity Tearfund, tells the BBC.

The charity's partners have prepared dozens of packages to try and help survivors of the flash floods.

Image source, Tearfund

Image source, Reuters

A candle-lit vigil has taken place in Sydney to honour those affected by the devastating flash flood on the Nepal-Tibet border.

Around 100 people gathered in the city to light candles, join chants, and observe a minute's silence, Reuters reports.

One man, Nagendra Adhikari, tells Reuters some of his cousins and relatives are missing, as well as one of his university friends. "We are sad for his family, we are still hoping for good news," he says.

Sydney local C K Bhusal says he is there to support those who have lost everything, and to "really be here with our tears, sorrow and grief".

Image source, Reuters

A charity says broken connectivity, washed-out roads and destroyed bridges have left the worst affected communities following the flooding "extremely difficult" to reach.

CARE says hundreds of emergency kits are ready to go, containing items like solar panels for charging electronics, tarpaulins and water purification supplies.

It says more than 100 packages have been handed over to local authorities in Nepal for distribution.

The Nepal Army is moving these supplies to Dhunche, an area which has been devastated by the floods, the charity says.

Simon Atkinson
Australia reporter

Image source, Penny Wong / X

In the past hour, Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong has said consular officials have made contact with a 26-year-old Australian who was missing in Nepal.

Cara Severino contacted her parents on Friday. She had been hiking the Langtang trek relatively close to where the flash floods hit and was stranded with no communications.

Her family said in a statement on Friday that Severino had managed to reach Gosainkunda with other hikers and that the plan was to hike back to the capital Kathmandu.

Posting a photograph of Severino with consular staff, Wong said: "I spoke directly with her a short time ago and am very pleased to know she is safe. This is a rare piece of positive news amid a disaster that has brought immense loss and uncertainty.

"While this is a welcome development, there remain grave concerns for the other Australians who remain unaccounted for, and our officials are continuing to work closely with local authorities to locate and assist those affected."

Canberra says there are still 41 Australians missing.

Image source, Reuters

Residents have been returning to the hard-hit village of Trishuli to try and retrieve their belongings.

Saraswait Ghale, 43, describes how the "the earth shook like an earthquake" as muddy water gushed past.

She tells the Reuters news agency that nearby slopes filled up with water - she thought they would not survive the disaster.

Ghale explains she managed to reach higher ground where she could see items being swept away as the sludge settled around her.

But the incident has left her shaken. Ghale says it feels like there is "no world" now. "What is left? It’s like I am dead," she says, adding: "I don't have anything."

A teenager who also lives in the village describes how her family home and business was destroyed.

Rishika Kalwar, 17, says: "The place where we are born and lived. Our parents have struggled so much, others have struggled so much.

"I don’t think I can ever forget these struggles."

Image source, Reuters

Families have been gathered at an army barracks every day since Wednesday's flood, desperately hoping for helicopters to deliver survivors.

They are growing frustrated as they wait for news of their loved ones.

"There's so much anger here today," the BBC's Azadeh Moshiri says at the scene - watch her full report below.

A team of BBC journalists have arrived in Battar Bazar, in the Nuwakot District of Nepal.

Ambulances line the streets as helicopters used in the country's search and rescue mission fly overhead.

Military trucks are also travelling in and out of the region as Nepal grapples with the aftermath of the flash floods.

Image source, Reuters

An official in Nepal has described how bodies have been rapidly arriving at the morgue following deadly flash floods.

"We have been receiving bodies from different locations continuously, nine from Tanahun, 27 from Nawalparasi East, and 20 from Dhading districts," Kuman Singh Gurung, Kaski's chief district officer, tells Reuters news agency.

Kaski is part of Gandaki Province, and falls west of the disaster zone.

As we've been reporting, the death toll has climbed to at least 626 following Wednesday's disaster. As time moves on, officials in a separate district have described how hundreds of bodies are "no longer identifiable".

Speaking at a press conference earlier, Nepal's Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said the country had asked foreign governments and international institutions to provide freezers to help preserve bodies until families could be located.

"Unfortunately, our capabilities are low," he says.

The executive director of ActionAid Nepal describes Wednesday's flash floods as being closer to a "tsunami".

"This flood was not as we imagined in our wildest dreams," Sujeeta Mathema tells BBC Breakfast.

"We are really in a bad state," she adds.

Mathema describes how roads and bridges have been "completely swept away" and authorities are unsure how many people are "under the mud," or stuck in tunnels and buildings.

She adds that it has been difficult to communicate with rescue teams as electricity has been cut out, with people relying on generators or solar panels for energy.

But despite the challenges the director says teams are on the ground and she is "very hopeful" there will be more successful rescues.

Shreejana Shrestha
BBC Nepali, reporting from Nuwakot

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

More than 180,000 rescuers and almost 40 helicopters are being used as a major rescue effort is under way.

One of the major challenges for rescuers is trying to find people in muddy areas who could still be alive.

When I visited an army camp in Nuwakot, I was met with a heartbreaking scene.

Hundreds of people were standing by the camp's barrier in the hope of getting a glimpse of their loves ones as helicopters landed nearby.

I found one woman carrying a small baby who was crying hysterically.

She explained she had lost her father, mother and husband in the flash floods.

She had nowhere to go and did not know who to contact.

Nepal's Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal says the country's "immediate priority" is to locate the missing and provide urgent relief.

Speaking at a press briefing he says 4,451 people have been rescued, including 187 foreign nationals. He also references the latest death toll and missing figures, which we reported earlier.

Khanal then appeals to the public to rely on "official verified information".

On the operation to locate survivors, he says search and rescue teams, medical teams and emergency responders are working together in the affected areas.

Authorities are co-ordinating with families to identify the missing, with diplomats facilitating communications with the families of missing foreign nationals, he adds.

As concerns about possible secondary flooding continue, Khanal says the risk is being monitored and that the region is on "high alert".

The only way to get to the hardest-hit areas is by helicopter, and some of the terrain has turned into "swampland" meaning helicopters cannot land, he says.

Tunnel rescue is something they are looking for support on, he says, adding that two additional Chinese teams are expected.

The Nepal Tourism Board has confirmed that 184 foreign nationals have been rescued so far following the flash floods.

It says it is also in communication with one person from Belgium and two people from Spain.

In its latest update at 13:30 local time (08:45 BST) it said a further 420 tourists are still unaccounted for.

The tourist board also provided a breakdown of how many people have been rescued from each country:

• Bulgaria - 1
• China - 27
• Germany - 4
• India - 114
• Italy - 3
• Malta - 4
• Oman - 1
• Portugal - 1
• Russia - 2
• South Korea - 20
• Switzerland - 2
• Turkey - 2
• US - 3

A nurse has described how people near the Nepal-Tibet border have been left in "despair without any hope of life" as they fear another wave of flooding.

Rajendra Pudasaini, the President Non-Resident Nepali Association in the UK, says he is still not sure what has happened to his family members and neighbours.

He told the BBC on Thursday evening that his wife's aunt and uncle, their granddaughter and her husband as well as his godson are missing.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Saturday morning, Pudasaini explains he managed to speak to his mother, who had been on her way to hospital when the river collapsed, 56 hours after the tragedy.

He described how a bridge was "blown away" during the destruction leaving his mother trapped at the hospital along with several other relatives. They were later saved by the Nepali Army.

The nurse, who lives in Essex, says he has been relying on neighbours and friends posting on social media to try and find out more information about the disaster.

"People are crying for food, clothes and medicine and support and hope," he says.

One woman tells how two of her sons were swept away in the flood while at a market near the border. "I only have one son left... my two sons are gone," she cries.

Another woman tells the BBC's Azadeh Moshiri that four of her relatives are missing.

Her brother, standing by her side, describes running out of his home with his wife and child. He survived, but they were washed away.

"I told her to hurry but she was locking up the house and got caught in the current," he says.

You can watch Azadeh's report below:

Katie Williams
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

The rescue operation is in its fourth day after a deadly flash flood hit the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday.

The death toll in Nepal has jumped again today to 626, according to the country's disaster management authority, with 2,426 reported missing - a significant jump from yesterday's figure of 1,924.

In Tibet, the official death toll is seven, with 554 reported to be missing, according to Chinese state media.

Getting information from Tibet can be difficult but China has now released some footage, with one rescuer describing a "scene of ruins".

In Nepal, at least 517 foreign nationals are reported missing, with pilgrims and trekkers among those caught up in the disaster. One man in south London who hasn't heard from his parents says: "We're just hoping and really praying that everything's ok."

Our reporter on the ground says rain has complicated rescue efforts, making it difficult to reach the worst-affected areas. There are also fears a lake formed of floodwater could cause secondary landslides.

But amid the devastation, there are stories of hope, including that of a 97-year-old woman rescued from the rubble of a care home. Her great-nephew tells the BBC she looked like "a warrior" when she was pulled alive from the ruins.

Image source, Getty Images

Nepal's finance minister has estimated the country will need between $4 billion (£2.95 billion) and $5 billion to rebuild the country after the devastating flood.

"This is just an estimate. Loss and damage is being assessed," Swarnim Wagle tells Reuters news agency.

As well as wiping away homes, the flood has destroyed key infrastructure like roads and bridges.

Hydropower plants have also been hit, with these satellite images appearing to show an industrial site reduced to virtually nothing.

Ashok Dahal and Kamal Pariyar
BBC Nepali, reporting from Nuwakot district

We are on our way to a military training school in Nuwakot district that has been converted into a search-and-rescue co-ordination hub.

Along the route, we continue to see aid trucks heading towards Nuwakot, carrying supplies for communities affected by the disaster.

We saw similar convoys on the day after the floods.

It seems the flow of relief vehicles has not slowed underlining both the scale of the need and the ongoing relief effort, with assistance continuing to be distributed from Nuwakot to affected areas.

The image below shows an aid distribution effort organised by a local hospital in partnership with a media organisation.

Azadeh Moshiri
Reporting from Trishuli, Nepal

Rain has been falling again across northern Nepal, and emergency teams are warning it’s making it difficult to reach some of the worst-affected areas.

Wednesday’s flood has swept away bridges and roads, and helicopters have been making repeated journeys back and forth to ferry survivors to safety.

Thousands of people cut off from the rest of the country have been saved so far. In neighbouring India, authorities have said seven bodies have been recovered from rivers flowing from Nepal, and they are believed to be victims of the flood.

Here in Trishuli, the military have been issuing warnings of more possible flooding.

There are fears a glacial lake formed of flood water and debris near the Nepal-Tibet border could breach its banks. But for now the greatest danger has passed, leaving the country to confront the worst disaster Nepal has seen since an earthquake in 2015.