Catastrophic flash floods in a border area of China and Nepal have killed at least 500 people and left more than 1,500 people missing as of Friday morning. Hundreds were foreigners in the area to work, take guided treks or make a pilgrimage to a sacred Hindu site.
Thousands have been rescued, with some of the injured taken to hospitals in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu. The number of missing from Wednesday's disaster may vary because of progress in the ongoing rescue efforts and differences in how data was collected and verified among agencies.
A look at how multiple countries have been affected:
Nepal’s disaster management authority said Friday the death toll rose to 538, with 977 people missing. The authority said 3,253 people have been rescued by helicopter, and more than 150 of the injured were taken to hospitals in Kathmandu and the districts of Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading. Nepali police later put the number of deaths higher at 553.
State media reported Friday at least five people died and 558 were missing in Gyirong County, Tibet. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that 260 of the 558 missing people were foreigners. In addition, nearly 100 Chinese citizens were missing on the Nepal side, China’s foreign ministry said.
India's External Affairs Ministry said 320 Indian nationals remain uncontactable. They included 73 people who were working on a power project. Nepal officials have said many Indian tourists were on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus.
The U.S. State Department said 90 Americans were unaccounted for in China and Nepal. It said it was not aware of any U.S. deaths. Three Americans have been rescued.
The board said 51 Malaysians were missing.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said that 55 Ukrainians are missing. The number includes two tourist groups of 47 and seven people, in addition to one Ukrainian woman traveling with a foreign tour group, the ministry said.
The Australian government said 39 Australians were missing.
The board said 33 of the missing were from Britain.
Nepal's tourism board said 25 of the missing were from Canada.
South Korean government officials said nine citizens working on building a hydropower plant in Nepal were missing.
Eight Singaporeans were missing, according to Nepal tourism board.
Nepal's tourism board said eight tourists from Germany were missing.
The Russian Embassy in Nepal said eight of its citizens were missing.
The board said six South Africans were missing.
The board said six tourists from Latvia were missing.
Japanese media said the five Japanese tourists missing are a couple and their children.
Five people from New Zealand were missing, said Nepal's tourism board.
The board said four French citizens were missing.
The board said three from Belgium were missing.
The board said three visitors from Spain were missing.
The board said two people each from Italy, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Ireland and Netherlands were missing. It said 10 others - one each from Belarus, Finland, Hungary, Israel, Lithuania, Philippines, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Serbia and Sweden - were also missing. - AP
