34 Australians Missing as Nepal Flood Death Toll Reaches 160

At least 160 people have died and hundreds remain missing after devastating flash floods swept through villages in the Himalayan border region between Nepal and Tibet.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that 34 Australians are among those unaccounted for as authorities struggle to assess the full scale of the disaster.

The flooding struck on Wednesday morning local time, killing at least 157 people in Nepal and three in Tibet, according to officials. Rescue teams are continuing to search for survivors while communications remain difficult in some of the worst-affected areas.

Albanese, speaking during a Bush Summit panel in Dubbo, said Australia was working to establish the whereabouts and welfare of its citizens.

"Information is difficult," the prime minister said, pointing to Nepal's limited resources compared with those available to respond to a disaster of this scale in Australia.

"Our thoughts are with all those who will be concerned about their loved ones today," he said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had earlier said it was urgently working to confirm the welfare of Australians believed to have been caught up in the floods.

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor also expressed his condolences, saying Australians affected by the disaster and their families were in his thoughts.

"Our thoughts are with all those affected by the devastating flooding in Nepal and Tibet, including the families who have lost loved ones and those still waiting for news," Taylor said.

The scale of destruction has left entire communities devastated.

A local representative of the Red Cross in Nepal said "entire villages and market areas" had been wiped out by the torrent.

Satellite imagery suggests the flooding may have been triggered by a large section of ice breaking away from a Himalayan glacier. The collapse is believed to have sent huge quantities of ice and rock into a river, generating a powerful surge downstream.

There are also fears the disaster could worsen.

An international team of experts has warned that another major flood could occur because a blockage remains upstream in a key river along the Nepal-Tibet border.

Australian trekking operators have described extensive damage to infrastructure in the region.

Seane Pieper, founder of Himalayan Guiding Australia, which has taken Australian hikers into the Langtang Valley since 1995, said he had been told a key bridge over the Bhotekosi River at Syabrubesi had been destroyed.

Pieper is due to travel to the Nepal-Tibet border in two weeks and was last in the area in April.

He said there was only one main road providing access to the beginning of the trek, raising concerns about how badly the disaster has disrupted access to the region.

The popular trekking area regularly attracts international visitors, including Australians.

Pieper said the narrow gorge would have left little warning for people caught in the path of the flood.

He described reports of lodges being swept away and floodwaters rising dramatically along the walls of the gorge.

With dozens of Australians still unaccounted for, authorities are racing to establish contact with those in affected areas as rescue and recovery efforts continue.