Nepal: Over 360 dead and 1,400 missing after severe floods

Rescue teams are actively searching for victims and assessing the extensive destruction. Nepali authorities have recovered 359 bodies, with 910 people still unaccounted for, including 517 foreign tourists. On the Chinese side in Tibet, state media reports three deaths and 558 missing, including 260 foreigners.

The catastrophic event, caused by a partial glacier collapse, was so powerful it registered as a magnitude 5.2 seismic event by the USGS. The floods devastated the Trishuli River valley in Nuwakot district and the Bhote Koshi valley, both north and east of Kathmandu. Villages like Syabrubesi, a starting point for the Langtang trek and a route for Hindu pilgrims to Kailash Mansarovar, have been wiped out.

Among the missing foreigners are 178 Indians, 65 Americans, 53 Ukrainians, 51 Malaysians, 35 Australians, 33 Britons, 25 Canadians, and four Spaniards. Chinese diplomacy also reported around 100 Chinese nationals missing on the Nepali side. Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah have visited the affected areas to oversee rescue operations.

China has deployed nearly 800 rescuers, search dogs, and speedboats, but mountainous terrain and an unstable upstream dam lake complicate efforts. Experts warn of potential further flooding due to an obstruction in the upper part of the border river. Monsoon rains, from