Three Fremantle teens trekking through Nepal have finally touched base with their families - more than 72 hours after a deadly earthquake hit the country.
Fears had been growing for the safety of Raoul Poncin, Jalada Wilson and Rin Hutcheson, who were thought to be trekking in the Langtang Valley.
They are thought to be the last Western Australians unaccounted for.
Raoul Poncin's father Freddy told Fairfax Media he was overjoyed that his son was safe.
"Very stoked," he laughed, while enjoying a celebratory beer on Tuesday night.
"They made it to a village and Rin borrowed a phone and managed to speak to his dad for about 20 seconds before the phone cut out.
"When I got the call from Rin's dad, I was very relieved. I can get some sleep now.
Mr Poncin said the teens were stuck in a village called Syahbrubesi due to road damage.
He hoped the young men would be rescued by helicopter soon.
Mr Poncin, a Fremantle musician, said he always knew his son was safe.
"I was never dreading they were stuck under an avalanche, I was more concerned they would run out of food and water," he said.
He said his son had plans to travel to India after Nepal and may still make the trip.
"I think we will see what happens," he said.
"But i'm looking forward to speaking to him."
Earlier, Mr Poncin took to Facebook to post his delight at the news the teens were safe.
"GREAT NEWS - GREAT NEWS," he wrote.
"Raoul Poncin Jalada Wilson and Rin Hutcheson are safe but cant get out of the Langtang area. They are in a place called Syabrubesi and all roads are blocked. Soon they will be picked up!!
"A very happy dad here!!!
"Thanks to all for your support!!!!"
Kathmandu trek for trio
Poncin, 19, was trekking through the Langtang Valley, around 130 kilometres north of Kathmandu, with his friends Rin Hutcheson, 18, and Jalada Wilson, 18, when the 7.8 earthquake hit.
While desperate to receive a message from his son, Mr Poncin earlier told Fairfax Media that he believed he was more than likely helping out survivors of the devastating earthquake.
He said he hadn't heard from Raoul since April 17, but his "gut" was telling him he was "alright".
"I haven't slept much but I'm hoping everything is alright," he said.
"I was a little scared when I first heard about the earthquake, because I didn't know which part of Nepal he was in.
Mr Poncin said the three teenagers – all from Fremantle – had been trekking around parts of Bali in late March before tackling a bigger trek in Nepal in mid-April.
He had been desperately trying to contact his son via Facebook and his mobile phone but was told by authorities a lot of infrastructure had been damaged in the earthquake.
"I just need to know he's OK," he said. "That's all I hope.
"But knowing Raoul, he will be helping other people out."
Mr Poncin had said he was most worried that his son and the other two boys may be trapped somewhere with limited supplies.
"I think when they left for their trek they only had supplies for eight to nine days," he said.
Rin's mother Kiyomi also said she was confident her son was safe.
"I'm 90 per cent sure he is safe," she had said.
A Facebook page was set up for trio, which garnered 900 followers on Tuesday afternoon, and Raoul's father posted the same message on the page to confirm the friends had finally confirmed their safety.
Perth couple survive earthquake in hotel
"Run" was what Geoff Roberts screamed at his wife Sue as the Kathmandu hotel they were staying in started shaking when a 7.8 earthquake hit Nepal on Saturday.
The North Beach couple were lucky to having escaped the earthquake unharmed and able to get a flight home to Perth on Monday, fleeing a country thrown into chaos by the tremors.
While stories such as the Roberts' harrowing account start to surface, other families are still desperately scrambling to find out any information they can about their missing loved ones.
'Things were flying everywhere'
Mrs Roberts said she and her husband were relaxing on the third floor of the Radisson Hotel in Kathmandu after just coming back from a 10-day trek around Nepal when the massive earthquake hit.
"We just ran for our lives," Mrs Roberts told Fairfax Media.
"It was just horrendous. The whole building just shook and we just ran out of the building as fast as we could."
Mr Roberts said they had to dodge flying furniture while running out of the building.
"We ran through the kitchen and there were things flying everywhere and there were cracks in the building.
"The older side of Kathmandu has been devastated."
Mrs Roberts said Kathmandu airport was packed with thousands of people trying to leave Nepal.
"It was chaos at the airport," she said.
"We were fortunate, because we already had our flights booked."
'It was like being in an ocean swell'
Yvonne Renshaw said she had just taken one of the orphans from the orphanage where she was volunteering for a walk when the quake hit.
"It was like being in an ocean swell, then I got thrown to the ground so hard it took the skin off my hands," she said.
"There was this section of hill in front of me, that looked like it had been pressed from the top and it just disappeared.
"There were houses all around - then they were just gone."
The 63-year-old said 20 minutes after the quake hit, there were screams coming from near the orphanage as a number of people were trapped under the rubble of a home.
"I went to help but there were so many people and they were using their hands to dig the people out," she said. "They pulled out four people who were alive, who must have been in there for 45 minutes."
The Mundaring local said after waiting 30 hours at Kathmandu airport, she fought her way into the departure lounge and begged to be put on a flight.
"A lot of emotion hit me last night when I got home," she said.
"I feel relieved, but guilty for leaving the kids at the orphanage without food or water."
Ms Renshaw has set up an account for people to donate money to the RV Nepal Orphanage where she was working.
If people want to donate they can deposit money at NAB bsb 086006 acc number 245513971.
"Even if people donate $5 that could buy rice for a family for a month," Ms Renshaw said.
Agonising wait for Perth families
Lisa Anne Mirtsopoulos, 45, who was on the Monk for a Month tour, is still registered as missing but on Tuesday the company posted on Facebook that it believed all of its guests were accounted for.
Angus McDougal Caithness, 36, has also been reported by his trekking company as being safe at Mt Everest Base Camp.
Blake Penson, 34, managed to call his parents in Perth with a satellite phone from Mount Everest Camp 2, about 1000 metres above the first base camp, soon after the first tremor struck on Saturday.
His father Michael Penson said avalanches had destroyed the route between the bases but his son was OK.
Ballantyne Paige Forder, 22, Callumn Shally, 21, Shannen Wynne, 20, Brooke O'Keefe, 31, and Karen Lee Jury, 44, are also among those from WA who have been able to get in touch with family back home.
Meanwhile the federal government was planning to send military aircraft to Nepal to help Australians trapped in Nepal get home, a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said in a release.
"The timing and frequency of the flights will be subject to capacity constraints at Kathmandu airport and approval by the Nepalese Government, " it read.
"Once details of the military flights are known, DFAT [Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade] will advise of the process for Australians to register their interest. Highly vulnerable Australians will be given priority."
The death toll of Saturday's earthquake in Nepal has risen to over 4000 people on Tuesday.
It is believed hundreds of Australians are still unaccounted for following the quake.
