More than 500 foreign tourists are missing on Wednesday after deadly floods hit the Nepal-Tibet border.
The flooding began on the morning of August 26, when a wave of water, mud and debris emerged Entered Nepal from China’s autonomous region of Tibet via the Bhote Koshi River, the Nepal Tourism Board said.
More than 350 people have been killed and more than 1,300 are missing, local authorities said earlier on Thursday, although exact figures are unclear.
The latest update from the Tourism Board mentions 667 missing travelers in Nepal. Of these, 540 are foreigners and 127 Nepalis.
The list includes 65 Americans and 25 Canadians, as well as travelers from Britain, Australia, Malaysia and Ukraine. 178 of the missing tourists are from neighboring India, authorities said.
In total, people from more than thirty countries are missing.
The U.S. State Department said in a news release that it is deploying a disaster response consultant and providing $500,000 for shelter, supplies, clean water and sanitation through Catholic Relief Services. It also said the U.S. Embassy in the capital Kathmandu is working with local authorities to locate and assist Americans.
Global Affairs Canada said it was aware Canadians had been affected and was prepared to provide consular assistance. Power outages were said to be making communications difficult.
The floods affected communities along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers, north of Kathmandu.
The US Geological Survey initially recorded a magnitude 4.4 earthquake about 40 miles north of the capital. It later updated its events page to say no earthquake occurred and where the signal came from a glacier collapse and debris flows that released energy equivalent to a magnitude 5.2 earthquake.
What caused the glacier collapse is still under investigation.
Photos from Nepal show scenes of mass destruction. Xinhua via Getty Images
CCTV footage shared online showed walls of water, mud and rubble reaching the port of Gyirong, the border crossing between the two countries, while other images showed widespread damage in nearby towns.
Nepal’s Disaster Management Authority said 27 foreign tourists had been rescued from Rasuwa on Thursday afternoon. Two army helicopters were deployed to support the rescue efforts.
The Tourism Board said other parts of Nepal remained unaffected. It advised travelers to avoid rivers, bridges and damaged roads, and to postpone travel to flood-affected areas until officials say conditions are safe.
