The State Department reports that approximately 80 American citizens remain unaccounted for following a catastrophic Himalayan flash flood that struck Nepal last Wednesday, an event that killed hundreds of people. This update reflects a decrease from a previous estimate of at least 90 missing Americans near the Nepal-China border, with 13 citizens confirmed to have reached safety in Nepal.
Nepal’s official death toll has risen to 903, while the number of people still unaccounted for has nearly doubled to roughly 4,200, according to a Sunday update from local officials.
A spokesperson for Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that 903 bodies have been recovered and about 4,200 people are still unaccounted for. Over 10,000 people have been rescued from the regions, including over 323 foreign nationals. As per the available data, about 590 foreign nationals are still missing from 39 countries.
Twenty-two of the missing Americans were part of a pilgrimage affiliated with a Tennessee-based nonprofit group. Isha Foundation coordination leader Jyoti Jankowski told Fox News that they were inside an immigration building when the flooding struck the area.
A drone view shows mud covering properties following a flash flood at Trishuli in Nuwakot district, Nepal, August 26, 2026. (REUTERS/Stringer)
Officials explained that the disaster occurred in north-central Nepal when a distant slope failure involving a glacier triggered a rapidly moving debris flow that traveled roughly 62 miles downstream before striking a populated area. Video footage captured a massive surge of water and debris suddenly rushing through the valleys, engulfing buildings in its path.
A spokesperson for Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided an update on Sunday.
“So far, 903 bodies have been recovered from the areas and about 4200 people are still unaccounted for. Over 10,000 people have been rescued from the regions, including over 323 foreign nationals. As per the available data, about 590 foreign nationals are still missing, from 39 countries,” the spokesperson said.
Authorities said Nepal is coordinating with neighboring countries and the international community to provide relief, with supplies already arriving from countries including India and China.
More supplies are expected to arrive from the U.S., United Arab Emirates, Myanmar, Qatar, the U.K., Australia, the Republic of Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Bangladesh, Pakistan and other international organizations, officials said.
“Relief and humanitarian assistance are being provided in the affected areas. We are deeply grateful to our friends and partners for their solidarity, goodwill and generous offers of support at this difficult time,” the spokesperson said.
A drone view shows a man walking next to damaged buildings and houses covered in mud near the Likhu River following deadly flash floods and mudslides in Devighat, Nuwakot district, Nepal, on Aug. 30, 2026. (REUTERS)
The State Department said it was “monitoring the situation and is deploying a disaster response advisor to the region to support response efforts.”
The department will also provide $500,000 in assistance through its global award with Catholic Relief Services, supporting emergency shelter, relief items, and water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance to flood-affected communities.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), investigators remain uncertain whether the initial failure was a landslide incorporating part of a glacier or a glacial collapse, in which a portion of a glacier breaks off and rapidly moves downslope with surrounding debris.
Employees retrieve banknotes near a bank covered in sludge after flash floods in Trishuli in Nepal’s Nuwakot district on Aug. 30, 2026. (AFP via Getty Images)
The glacier-related event resulted in a magnitude 5.2 earthquake, according to the USGS. A second seismic event was recorded approximately three hours later, generating energy equivalent to a magnitude 4.2 earthquake.
“The glacial debris contained water and ice that rapidly melted, picking up more material and water as it flowed downslope in the existing stream and river channels, creating a fast-moving, far-traveled landslide and flood laden with boulders and other rubble,” the agency said.
