Catastrophic flash floods in a border area of China and Nepal have killed at least 353 and left more than 1,300 people missing as of Thursday. Many were foreigners in the area for trekking, guided tours or a pilgrimage to a sacred Hindu site. The number of missing from Wednesday’s disaster may vary across agencies because of differences in how they collected data, when it was reported and how it was verified, as well as gaps in co-ordination between those assembling data and those conducting rescue efforts in the affected area. Nepal Police reported at least 353 dead and 826 missing. Local reports cited the National Emergency Operation Center as saying Thursday the missing included 113 Nepali tourists, 85 security personnel from the army and police as well as 161 residents from the Rasuwa district and one from the Nuwakot district. The National Tourism Board later Thursday said 517 foreigners were missing. China State media reported at least three people died and 558 were missing in Gyirong County, Tibet. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that 260 of the 558 missing people were foreigners. In addition, nearly 100 Chinese citizens were missing on the Nepal side, China’s foreign ministry said. India India’s External Affairs Ministry said 288 Indian nationals remain uncontactable. They included 73 people who were working on a power project. Nepal officials have said many Indian tourists were on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus. United States The board said 65 of the missing were from the United States. Malaysia The board said 51 Malaysians were missing. Ukraine Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said that 55 Ukrainians are missing. The number includes two tourist groups of 47 and seven people, in addition to one Ukrainian woman travelling with a foreign tour group, the ministry said. Australia The board said 35 Australians were missing. Britain The board said 33 of the missing were from Britain. Canada Nepal’s tourism board said 25 of the missing were from Canada. South Korea South Korean government officials said nine citizens working on building a hydropower plant in Nepal were missing. Singapore Eight Singaporeans were missing, according to Nepal tourism board. Germany Nepal’s tourism board said eight tourists from Germany were missing. Russia The Russian Embassy in Nepal said eight of its citizens were missing. South Africa The board said six South Africans were missing. Latvia The board said six tourists from Latvia were missing. Japan Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expressed worry about five Japanese nationals whom local media reported were missing. New Zealand Five people from New Zealand were missing, said Nepal’s tourism board. France The board said four French citizens were missing. Belgium The board said three from Belgium were missing. Spain The board said three visitors from Spain were missing. Others The board said two people each from Italy, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Ireland and Netherlands were missing. It said 10 others — one each from Belarus, Finland, Hungary, Israel, Lithuania, Philippines, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Serbia and Sweden — were also missing. The Associated Press
