Nepal’s catastrophic flash flooding, which struck the Nepal-Tibet border region on August 26, has left at least 1,252 people dead and more than 4,200 missing across the country, including hundreds of foreign tourists, according to updated figures reported on September 3 by ABC News.
The floods were triggered by a wall of water and debris that tore through the Rasuwa region on the Himalayan border, an area popular with trekkers and pilgrims travelling toward Tibet. Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 590 foreign nationals from 39 countries remained among the missing as of September 2, a figure that has risen steadily from an initial estimate of around 400 in the days immediately following the disaster.
The United States State Department said roughly 75 Americans remained unaccounted for as of September 1, while 14 citizens had been confirmed safe. Separately, China’s state broadcaster reported 21 deaths and 541 people missing on the Tibetan side of the border, including 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries.
Among those still missing are members of tour groups travelling through the region, including participants on trips organised by India’s Isha Foundation and clients of local operator Fishtail Tours and Travel. Relatives of missing travellers have described a difficult wait for information, with many bodies recovered far downstream and in poor condition, complicating identification efforts.
Rescue operations have continued to face difficulties from mountainous terrain, damaged infrastructure, power outages and further flood risk, according to David Fisher, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ disaster law programme. The United Nations has said contact still has not been re-established with some of the hardest-hit areas.
Nepal’s Ministry of Health said as of September 1 only around 4% of the roughly 900 recovered bodies had been formally identified, underlining the scale of the identification effort still ahead as the death toll continues to rise.