Nepali tour operator fears 15 Australians who had been on a trek near the border with China have died after devastating flood

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A New South Wales couple on a spiritual pilgrimage are among the first of 39 Australians identified as missing after flash flooding ravaged the Nepal-Tibet border.

New South Wales couple Venkatraman Balakrishnan, 52, and his wife, Chitra Venkatraman, 46, were among 15 Australians travelling to Mount Kailash in Tibet on a spiritual trip, according to their son.