Nepal floods leave at least 95 dead, 384 tourists missing, $1.3B in damage

The flood hit the region on Wednesday morning. Preliminary reports say the flood wave was caused by a snow-and-rock avalanche near the Nepal-China border, about 20 kilometers northeast of the Rasuwagadhi border crossing.

At least 93 people were injured, while preliminary estimates suggest around 1,000 people may have been swept away. The figure has not been officially confirmed.

The main damage was reported in the Bhotekoshi River valley in the districts of Rusawa, Nuwakot, Dhading and Chitwan. Search-and-rescue operations are continuing, with 15 helicopters involved, including seven operated by the Nepal Army.

Among the missing tourists are 291 foreign nationals. According to a tourism company executive, many were pilgrims traveling to China’s Mount Kailash, a sacred site in many Eastern religions.

According to other Nepalese trekking companies, citizens of the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Malaysia may be in the disaster area.

At least eight South Korean nationals working on the construction of a hydropower plant are also missing, according to South Korea’s Foreign Ministry, Yonhap news agency reported. Ten more were reportedly trapped in the affected area.

The disaster caused at least 200 billion Nepalese rupees ($1.3 billion) in infrastructure damage, Infrastructure Minister Sunil Lamsal said. Roads and bridges suffered the heaviest losses, with at least 22 concrete bridges and five metal Bailey bridges reportedly washed away.

The Energy Ministry said 14 hydropower facilities were damaged, including eight projects in Rusawa and six in Nuwakot.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah called an emergency meeting of the National Disaster Management Council to coordinate rescue efforts. People who need help or are out of contact have been advised to light fires so rescuers can locate them by following the smoke.

The Russian embassy in Kathmandu said it had no information about Russian citizens being in the affected areas. Russian tour operators also reported receiving no requests for assistance from Russian tourists in Nepal.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has offered humanitarian aid to flood-stricken Nepal.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that no Kazakhstani citizens had been reported among those dead or missing following flooding in the area along the Nepal-China border, according to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.