An Australian who was thought to be missing in Nepal has made contact with authorities, bringing relief to family members.

The person had not been heard of since a crushing wall of water flattened villages near the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday.

The individual contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) on Tuesday from Tibet and is receiving consular support.

The Australian has not been publicly identified but has spoken with family.

The number of missing Australians is now 42. On the weekend, Cara Severion, 25, was safely located and expressed huge relief.

Foreign Affairs minister Penny Wong said: “We’re incredibly thankful another Australian, who had been unaccounted for, has now been found.”

“It’s hard to imagine the sense of relief their loved ones must be feeling after what will have been an incredibly harrowing few days.”

Late on Monday the first death of an Australian was revealed by loved ones as NSW man Michael Keats, who was reportedly on a spiritual pilgrimage.

Keats’ partner, Emily Boyd, said it was the “most heartbreaking and overwhelming” time of her life and she was scrambling to get to India to honour him.

Media reports said Keats, from Mollymook on the NSW South Coast, was at the border crossing between Tibet and Nepal when the floods struck.

The hiker was returning from a group journey to Mount Kailash in Tibet.

Boyd launched an crowd-funding campaign after she was invited to India for a yoga and spiritual ritual “as a way of honouring Michael, processing this loss and supporting his transition after death”.

“For us, this journey carries deep spiritual meaning, and being able to participate would mean so much during this incredibly difficult time,” she wrote.

“Michael was my partner and an incredibly important part of our family. He was also my young son’s stepfather, although he was the only father he has ever known. His loss has changed everything for both of us.

“We are trying to navigate the shock and grief of losing someone we love deeply, while also suddenly having to face life without the person who was such an important part of our family and our household.

“This fundraiser is about more than one trip. It is about giving my son and me some breathing room while we navigate an unimaginable loss and begin to work out what our life looks like now.”

More than 4700 people are still missing on either side of the border, including 43 Australians, after the disaster was triggered by a glacier collapse in the Himalayas near the Nepal-Tibet border last Wednesday.

Hundreds of bodies, many unidentified, have ‌been buried in shallow graves as they began decomposing in the humid weather in the plains of the Himalayan country after being swept down the mountains by the torrent.

On Saturday, Cara Severino, 26, made contact with her parents and was safely located by Australian consular officials in Nepal.

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

In a statement, Severino said she felt “blessed” to be Australian.

“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.”