Prescription Drug Prices Fall Most In 60 Years: White House

Dozens of Americans remain unaccounted for after catastrophic flash floods and mudslides tore through the mountainous Nepal-Tibet border region, leaving hundreds dead and triggering an enormous international search-and-rescue operation as authorities race to locate survivors trapped in isolated communities.

The Nepal Tourism Board reported Thursday that 63 Americans were among hundreds of foreign tourists who had not yet been located, although officials cautioned that the number of missing U.S. citizens has fluctuated as communications are restored and rescue teams reach previously inaccessible areas.

Two Americans, described as a man and woman in their 50s, were among 27 foreign tourists successfully rescued from the devastated Rasuwa district, providing a rare piece of encouraging news as the massive recovery effort continued.

The disaster struck around 8:40 a.m. local time Wednesday when an enormous torrent of water, mud, rocks and other debris surged through northern Nepal near its border with China’s Tibet region, overwhelming communities along the Trishuli River and destroying buildings, bridges and roadways in its path.

Officials initially believed seismic activity may have triggered the disaster, but subsequent analysis by the U.S. Geological Survey determined that the seismic signal was generated by a massive glacial collapse and debris flow rather than a conventional earthquake.

The scale of the devastation has become clearer by the hour, with more than 350 people reported dead across the broader disaster zone by Thursday while more than 1,000 remained missing in Nepal and China.