Hundreds of international travelers are among the thousands of people currently missing following catastrophic flooding in the border region between Nepal and Tibet earlier this week.
A massive surge of water and debris, described as having tsunami-like force, swept through the Himalayan region on Wednesday, resulting in at least 682 confirmed fatalities and triggering an extensive large-scale rescue operation.
As of Friday, Chinese authorities reported that 260 foreign nationals remain unaccounted for following the flash floods. Simultaneously, Nepal’s disaster management agency stated that 517 foreign citizens are missing. Data from Nepal’s tourism board indicated that 622 individuals are currently “out of communication,” 473 of whom are foreign tourists.
According to the tourism board, the missing travelers include 98 citizens from India, 61 from Ukraine, 51 from Malaysia, 33 from the United Kingdom, 29 from Latvia, 25 from Canada, nine from South Korea, and nine from Singapore.
Further reports indicate that nine Russians and eight Germans remain missing, along with six South Africans, five Japanese, five New Zealanders, and four French nationals.
The tourism board’s list of missing persons also includes citizens from Belgium, Hungary, the Netherlands, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Italy, Belarus, Finland, Israel, Lithuania, the Philippines, Serbia, Switzerland, Sweden, and Vietnam.
The United States State Department confirmed on Thursday that 90 American citizens are still unaccounted for, while the Australian government announced on Saturday that its missing nationals count has risen to 41.
Additionally, the Spanish Foreign Ministry reported that three Spanish citizens remain missing. China has yet to provide a specific breakdown of the nationalities regarding the foreign nationals reported missing within its borders.
European Union Pledges Humanitarian Assistance
The European Union has committed to supporting relief efforts in the wake of the disaster, deploying its Copernicus Earth observation satellite system to assist in monitoring the affected areas.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the bloc will allocate €2 million in humanitarian aid to Nepal to provide essential life-saving assistance to the hardest-hit families and communities.
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