JOHANNESBURG - At least four South Africans are among hundreds of tourists missing after devastating flash floods swept across the Nepal-Tibet border, with more than 1,000 people feared missing.
Authorities say at least 165 people have died after an earthquake triggered landslides, sending torrents of water and mud through villages and destroying homes and buildings.
Among those unaccounted for are an estimated 468 tourists.
As the search for survivors intensifies, Gift of the Givers has placed an 11-member team of urban- and water-search specialists on standby to assist with rescue efforts.
READ | Four South Africans among those missing in Nepal floods
The South African Police Service has also authorised four K9 handlers and their search-and-rescue dogs to join the team if they are deployed.
For now, however, the South African rescuers remain on standby. Neither Nepal nor Tibet has formally requested international assistance, meaning the team cannot yet travel.
Gift of the Givers previously responded to Nepal after the devastating 2015 earthquake, when its rescuers and medical teams helped in the aftermath of the disaster.
The organisation says it is ready to deploy should a formal request for international assistance be made.
Read more: Search for missing after Nepal-Tibet floods kill 165