Nepal Says 468 Tourists Remain Out of Contact After Deadly Floods

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Kathmandu: Nepal says 468 tourists and travellers, including 393 foreign citizens, are still missing after deadly flash floods hit the country's border area with Tibet. The figure was released 24 hours after the tragedy hit regions of northern Nepal.

According to Suraj Ghimire, spokesperson for Nepal's Department of Tourism, the group consists of 75 Nepalis and 393 foreigners. The tourists were in areas hit by the sudden flooding and landslides, with many heading to the Tibet border for the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage or trekking trails.

The calamity affected the Rasuwa district along the Nepal-Tibet border, when violent floodwaters and debris swept across villages, roads, and infrastructure. Syabrubesi and Rasuwagadhi are key transit sites for visitors and pilgrims coming to Tibet.

Nepali authorities have been conducting search and rescue operations, but damaged roads, bridges, and communications infrastructure have made it difficult to reach some locations. Helicopters and emergency workers have been dispatched to help with rescue and recovery operations.

The floods also triggered a significant humanitarian problem on the Tibetan side of the border. Chinese state media reported hundreds of missing persons in Gyirong County, and the total disaster has left more than 1,000 people unaccounted for across Nepal and Tibet, however authorities have warned that some statistics may overlap.

The disaster has killed at least 160 people in Nepal and China, with Nepal reporting 157 fatalities and China reporting three. The disaster, according to the US Geological Survey, was caused by a glacier collapse that caused a major debris flow, not an earthquake as previously assumed.

Rescue crews continue to seek for survivors as authorities analyse the full scale of the devastation and attempt to contact the missing tourists and travellers.