UPDATED 7:17am: An Auckland family is anxiously waiting to hear if their daughter in Nepal is safe.

21 year old nanny Alicia Scroggins is on a trek with a friend, northwest of Kathmandu.

Her father, Bob Scroggins, heard from her last Monday, to say she was starting the trek.

He says they've left messages with the tour company for her to get in touch, but haven't heard anything.

"It would be a comfort to hear directly from our daughter that she's fine, but we're still waiting for that call."

Scroggins says the tour group is staying in tea houses in a rural area.

"We're somewhat relieved that she wasn't in Kathmandu, I understand a number of buildings have crumbled and fell. We don't know quite what it's like on the trek that she's on, but at least maybe in the rural areas we're hoping to be a little bit safer for her."

Meanwhile, there is fear and distress in Nepal, as people emerge from the ruins.

The official number of dead has now topped 2500, and may continue to rise as more remote areas are reached.

Sky's Neville Lazarus is in Kathmandu.

People are staying outside, they're not staying in their structures, or buildings and houses. They're staying on sidewalks, on traffic islands, in parks, on lawns, and it is quite a grim scene."