Nepal-Tibet floods: Scale of floods laid bare as towns lost to the fury of nature

The staggering scale of the flood catastrophe in Nepal is becoming clearer, with the death toll now above 600 and more than 3000 people missing with 41 of them from Australia.

Families are dropping everything to search for their missing loved ones, coming to terms with a heart-shattering reality as entire towns have been wiped out by the devastating floods.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Nepal flood disaster claims 600 lives, 41 Australians missing

The town of Trishuli, which just days ago was bustling with tourists on pilgrimage for a Hindu festival, is now empty and choked by mud and rubble.

“There were shops, poultry farms and government offices,” one local man said. “But they’re all gone.”

It’s the same story in nearby Devigat, lost to the fury of nature. For many, it’s beyond comprehension.

7NEWS spoke with one man whose elderly neighbour’s house disappeared in the deluge. He fears there’s no way she could have survived.

Two bridges that used to connect one town to the major highway have been destroyed. The sheer force of the water moved concrete and metal like it was nothing. Locals say 300 residents ran for their lives.

With a nation crying out for help, former Vice President Nanda Kishor Pun has shut down claims Nepal won’t accept international assistance, telling 7NEWS that foreign rescue teams are welcome and that global warming triggered the disaster.

For Australian Bhavin Patel, life hasn’t been the same. Collapsing into the embrace of family, he’s flown halfway around the world to find his wife, Reshma. She was on a pilgrimage when the flood came through. He hasn’t heard from her since.

Reshma is one of 41 Australians now missing. So too is Brisbane dad and Royal Australian Air Force member Karan Bhardwaj, who was travelling with mates and is now nowhere to be seen.

In Kathmandu, families are gathering at hospitals, holding out for answers, but many have lost hope.

“If we do not get him alive, we want to see his body,” one family member said.

One mother broke down in tears after travelling from hospital to hospital in agony not knowing what happened to her son.