At least 95 people have been killed and hundreds more are missing after powerful flash floods ripped through northern Nepal, sweeping away villages, roads and popular trekking routes near the border with Tibet.
The floods, triggered by intense monsoon rains and swollen mountain rivers, struck remote districts that serve as gateways to some of the Himalayas’ most sought-after trails. Rescue teams, including army units and local volunteers, are struggling to reach isolated valleys where bridges and sections of highway have been washed away.
Nepal’s ministry of culture, tourism and civil aviation said more than 400 visitors were initially unaccounted for, including 341 foreign nationals. A later situation report from the Nepal Tourism Board revised the figure to 384 missing travellers, among them 291 foreigners, as officials cross-checked hotel logs, trekking permits and tour operator manifests.
The missing span at least a dozen countries, underscoring the global reach of Nepal’s adventure tourism industry. According to the tourism board, 142 Indian nationals are missing, many of them travelling with three agencies: Samrat Tours & Travels, Leaf Holiday and Himalayan Glacier.
Seventeen Malaysians with Fishtail Tours & Travels were reported missing, though Malaysia’s foreign ministry said its embassy in Kathmandu had confirmed loss of contact with 11 citizens believed to be in Rasuwa district, one of the hardest-hit areas.
Twelve British citizens travelling with Alpine Eco Trek are unaccounted for, along with four South Africans booked through the same company. South Korean officials said eight hydropower workers in Rasuwa have not been heard from since the floods.
Three US citizens, also travelling with Fishtail Tours & Travels, are missing. Portugal’s foreign ministry reported that a Portuguese woman disappeared near a border post on the Nepali side. One Australian and one Dutch traveller with Kathmandu Holiday Tours & Travel are also unaccounted for.
Italy’s foreign ministry said two Italian tourists and their guide are stranded upstream from a landslide but are receiving assistance. Authorities are tracking the whereabouts of dozens more Italians believed to be in Nepal and Tibet.
Several trekking companies have reported additional missing clients whose nationalities have not yet been confirmed, including 77 with Trekkers Society, 26 with Kailash Journey and eight with Richa Tours & Travels. Nepal’s tourism board said 93 Nepali citizens are also missing.
With communications down across much of the disaster zone, officials warn that both the death toll and the number of missing are likely to rise as rescuers gain access to cut-off communities.
