The death toll from devastating flash floods and mudslides near the Nepal-Tibet border has climbed past 160, while hundreds of tourists remain missing — including dozens of Americans and Canadians.
Nepalese police said Thursday that 162 bodies had been recovered in the badly affected Rasuwa region, with the death toll expected to rise as rescue and recovery operations continue.
”This will go up, as we have resumed the search and more bodies are expected to be recovered,” police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle told Reuters.
Flash floods caused rivers to burst their banks, sending huge amounts of water, mud and debris through populated areas. Homes were buried and destroyed, while difficult terrain and damaged infrastructure have complicated the rescue effort.
The Nepalese army has deployed around 2,000 personnel for ground and aerial search-and-rescue operations in the hardest-hit areas.
According to Nepalese police, more than 500 tourists remain missing, including 466 foreign nationals from 28 different countries.
Among them are 54 people from the United States, more than 100 from India and 33 from the UK, while more than 100 Nepalese nationals are also unaccounted for.
A further 24 Canadians are missing, according to a spokesperson for the Nepal Tourist Board.
The U.S. State Department said it was aware that Americans had been affected by Wednesday’s floods but did not provide an exact number.
A spokesperson said the U.S. embassy in Nepal is working closely with local authorities and tour operators to help Americans caught up in the disaster. The department declined to provide additional figures or details, citing privacy concerns.
Canada’s foreign affairs office said it was also monitoring the situation and was prepared to assist Canadians if necessary.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his government was closely following developments.
“As rescue efforts continue, Canada stands ready to provide support,” Carney wrote on X.
Carney also urged Canadians in the region to register with Registration of Canadians Abroad, a free service that allows the government to contact and assist citizens during emergencies overseas.
Canada’s foreign affairs office said 820 Canadians are registered as being in Nepal, while another five are registered in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.
Officials stressed that those figures are only estimates because registration is voluntary and may include people who have not yet made travel plans.
“The Department is aware of Canadians who have been affected by the floods,” the Global Affairs Office said in a statement to the BBC.
The scale of the disaster has left survivors describing scenes of unimaginable destruction.
One survivor told the BBC that members of his family were swept away as the flood tore through the area, while rescue teams continue searching through mud and debris for those still missing.
The U.S. Geological Survey initially reported seismic activity near the Nepal-China border, but further analysis determined that the event was not an earthquake.
Instead, the USGS concluded that a glacial collapse and debris flow had triggered catastrophic impacts downstream, unleashing a deadly torrent of water, mud and rock.
Rescue and recovery efforts remain underway, with authorities warning that the number of confirmed dead could continue to rise as crews reach areas that have so far been inaccessible.
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