A 26-year-old Australian woman who had been missing after the Nepal floods has been found safe, with her parents calling the return of their daughter a “miracle”.

In a statement, Cara Severino’s parents Debbie and Frank thanked the Australian consular staff for finding her.

“Seeing Cara’s name appear on my message bank, hearing her voice and now seeing her photo and speaking with her has been the most miraculous gift,” they said in statement.

“We are incredibly thankful to the Australian Consular Response teams for locating her bringing her to safety and for the care they are giving her and all the amazing work they are doing to locate others.

“We are so grateful to her Nepalese hiking partners who saw her through a harrowing several days of hiking in very difficult terrain, so thankful that they have all made it to safety.

“The scale of this tragedy is staggering and amidst our personal joy we continue to stand in prayer with the many families here in Australia, in Nepal and around the world who have lost loved ones or are still waiting to hear from them, we know that the waiting is horrendous.”

“We are beyond relieved and so elated to have Cara safe and well and we can’t wait to hold her in our loving arms,” they said.

“This morning we are being enfolded in love by our church family who, along with so many of our family and friends, have been praying with us for this miracle. We thank Jesus for answering these prayers.

Cara was among dozens of Australians caught up in the incident, with the number of people unaccounted for now at 42.

She was missing for several days before making contact with embassy officials on Saturday, and is the only Australian who has been found safe so far.

Cara later thanked the “amazing people” she had been with at a national park, who helped her get out safely when the disaster unfolded.

She recalled the devastating stories of those who were unable to escape the disaster.

“We passed a guy hiking up to Thulu Safru who lost his whole family when their whole town was destroyed. It’s just so devastating and undeserving,” she said.

“I feel for the families of those still missing, I know how much my family and friends went through.

“Blessed to be from Australia and have the embassy and Australian government giving so much support.”

Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed the news on Saturday afternoon.

“This is a rare piece of positive news amid a disaster that has brought immense loss and uncertainty,” Senator Wong said.

Assistant Foreign Minister Matt Thistlethwaite also thanked the efforts of Australian consular staff, and said Cara being found safe is “one of the, unfortunately few good news stories from this terrible tragedy.”

On Sunday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia was responding with significant consular, rescue and humanitarian aid, with the federal government announcing additional funding in humanitarian assistance, bringing the total to $8 million.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and friends, with the people of Nepal, and with the citizens of every country caught up in this calamity,” the Prime Minister said.

“Our hope is that many of those missing are found alive.

“That something so devastating could occur in such an awesome and inspiring corner of the world during times of pilgrimage and holiday makes the blow seem even more heartbreaking.”

Nepalese officials confirmed they were still monitoring a large dam which had formed along a segment of valley, with potential for more flooding in the area.

More than 2500 people are still missing, with the number confirmed dead now at 788.

Image: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade