Flash flooding in Nepal's Tibetan Plateau region has left nearly 100 people dead and approximately 400 more missing, CBS News reports, citing local authorities. Fishtail Tours and Travel confirmed to ABC News that three of their US clients were among the missing.
The natural disaster occurred in the Rasuwa region, which borders China. A landslide on the Chinese side of the border killed at least three people and left another 265 missing in Gyirong County, CNA reported.
According to Nepal's Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal, a landslide also first occurred on the Nepalese side of the border, which blocked the flow of the Bhote Koshi River, causing it to overflow rapidly. The disaster was preceded by an earthquake in the Tibetan Plateau.
The nationalities of the 95 people killed in Nepal have not yet been revealed, but authorities have issued a preliminary list of the nationalities of the missing people. Among them are more than 140 Indian citizens, almost 100 Nepalese, 12 British, 17 Malaysians, 1 Dutch and 1 Australian citizen. Nepalese authorities could not establish the citizenship of more than 100 missing foreigners.
According to the latest data provided by local media Khabarhub, 341 foreigners are listed as missing.
South Korea confirmed that 9 citizens are missing and 10 are safe. The Russian Embassy in Nepal told TASS that four Russians who were in the flood zone have not been in contact.
As CBS News notes, the foreigners were in Nepal on tourist trips organized by specialized companies. The Nepalese company Fishtail Tours and Travel, which organized the trip for the three missing Americans, stressed that they are participating in their search.
The US Embassy in Kathmandu also confirmed its contacts with Nepalese authorities and expressed condolences for the loss of life and destruction.
As a result of the torrents of water and mud that hit the area, entire villages, as well as roads, bridges and other infrastructure, were washed away. The search and rescue of survivors is therefore complicated, writes Khabarhub.
