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Nepalese authorities reported hundreds of people still unaccounted for, including local residents, members of the country’s security forces and a staggering number of tourists who had traveled to the spectacular Himalayan region before disaster struck.
Across the border in Tibet, Chinese state media reported another 558 people missing in Gyirong County, including approximately 260 foreign nationals, underscoring the enormous geographic reach of the disaster.
Thousands of Nepalese soldiers and police officers have been deployed into the disaster zone, while military helicopters have been conducting repeated flights to search for survivors, evacuate the injured and deliver emergency supplies to communities cut off by washed-out roads and destroyed bridges.
For American families awaiting information, the U.S. government has begun mobilizing resources as officials attempt to determine the whereabouts and condition of citizens who may have been caught in the flooding.
“The United States extends its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in the devastating flash floods in the Rasuwa district of Nepal. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this disaster,” a State Department spokesperson said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also expressed American solidarity with Nepal and said the United States stood ready to assist the country’s government with humanitarian needs as the full scale of the catastrophe emerged.
Communications remain severely disrupted in portions of the region, creating the possibility that some people currently classified as missing or out of contact could ultimately be found alive once cellphone networks and transportation links are restored.
Three additional missing Americans were reportedly traveling with the Nepalese company Fishtail Tours and Travel, which confirmed that the U.S. nationals were among tourists still unaccounted for.
The disaster reportedly began roughly 12 miles northeast of the Rasuwagadhi border crossing, where an enormous glacial collapse sent ice, rock, and debris plunging into the valley before a devastating surge traveled downstream toward populated areas.