Rasuwa flood death toll rises to 389 as 667 tourists remain missing
Police say 466 people have been rescued, while authorities search for hundreds of foreign travellers and others unaccounted for after devastating flash floods in northern Nepal.
The death toll from devastating flash floods in central Nepal rose to 389 on Thursday, police said, as authorities searched for hundreds of missing tourists and residents.
Nepal Police said 466 people had been injured and rescued following the disaster, which swept through areas along the Trishuli River in Rasuwa district.
A total of 667 tourists, including 540 foreign nationals and 127 Nepalis, have been reported missing, according to the latest update from the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB).
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 50 foreign nationals had been rescued as of 6:20 pm Thursday.
The NTB said people from 33 countries were among those reported missing, with Indians accounting for the largest number at 178, followed by 65 Americans, 53 Ukrainians, 51 Malaysians, 35 Australians, 33 Britons and 25 Canadians.
The missing also included 24 Chinese nationals, nine Singaporeans, eight each from Germany and Russia, six each from Latvia and South Africa, and five each from Japan and New Zealand.
Four French nationals were also on the list, along with three each from Belgium, Portugal and Spain; two each from Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands and Kazakhstan; and one each from Belarus, Finland, Hungary, Israel, Lithuania, the Philippines, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland and Bulgaria.
The tourism board said rescue, evacuation and verification operations were continuing in coordination with travel agencies, trekking companies, guides, local authorities and security agencies.
Information from different agencies was being cross-checked to establish the whereabouts of travellers who may have been stranded, displaced or remain unaccounted for, it said.
The Foreign Ministry has meanwhile formed an Emergency Response Team to coordinate the search and rescue of foreign nationals affected by the floods.
The team will verify information on missing foreigners, coordinate with relevant agencies, support search and rescue operations, facilitate consular assistance and share verified information with families and diplomatic missions, the ministry said.
The ministry urged diplomatic missions, international organisations, families and the public to provide information about missing foreign nationals through its emergency contacts as the search continued.
Earlier on Thursday, the NTB said 27 foreign tourists had been rescued from the flood-hit Timure and Trishuli areas of Rasuwa.
The board said the rescued group included 11 Indian nationals, four South Koreans, two Italians and two Americans, while the nationality of eight others was not clearly specified in the initial list.
Authorities said efforts were continuing to rescue injured and stranded people and establish the safety of tourists and other travellers caught in the disaster.
