Death toll rises as floods and mudslides in Nepal leave dozens dead and hundreds missing, including 65 Americans
Floods and mudflows triggered by a glacial collapse in Nepal have killed at least 353 people, left 826 missing, and prompted rescue operations that have rescued dozens, among them 65 U.S. citizens.
Rescue teams continued searching for hundreds of missing people along the Nepal-China border after flash floods and mudflows swept through villages on Wednesday, following a glacial collapse. Nepalese authorities reported at least 353 deaths and 826 people still unaccounted for. The National Emergency Operation Center said the missing include 113 Nepali tourists, 85 security personnel and 161 local residents, with the hardest-hit districts being Nuwakot and Rasuwa.
Hikmat Singh Ayer, chief executive of the Nepal Tourism Board, told CBS News that 65 U.S. nationals were among the missing foreign citizens, up from the previous day's count. The board later confirmed that 27 foreign nationals, including two Americans in their 50s, had been rescued from the Rasuwa flood zone.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed solidarity with Nepal, stating that the State Department stands ready to provide humanitarian assistance. The U.S. Embassy in Nepal posted condolences for the victims and urged Americans in the area to contact families or travel providers despite disrupted communications. The State Department is monitoring the situation, has dispatched an adviser, and allocated a $500,000 grant to Catholic Relief Services.
The Nepalese army deployed helicopters that rescued more than 100 people and airlifted at least eight foreign nationals to Kathmandu. Bodies were recovered downstream in Chitwan district, and dozens of injured individuals were taken to the capital for treatment.
In neighboring Tibet, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported 558 people missing, including 260 foreigners, after a mudslide near Gyirong Port. Chinese authorities sent a military transport aircraft to assist rescue efforts and noted the presence of a barrier lake that could impede operations.
Initial seismic data suggested a magnitude-4.4 earthquake, but the U.S. Geological Survey later identified the event as a magnitude-5.2 glacial collapse that generated the flood wave. Climate experts from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development linked the disaster to an avalanche from a glacier, noting that water levels on the Trishuli River rose up to 27 feet in half an hour.
Disaster risk specialists highlighted that the Lhende Khola river, a tributary of the Bhotekoshi, has flooded twice in 14 months, attributing the recent event to an ice-rock avalanche that blocked the river. Researchers warned that accelerating glacier melt in the Himalayas increases the frequency of such floods, posing growing risks to communities and infrastructure across the region.