Around 100 Indians rescued as Nepal floods leave nearly 1,500 missing

Around 100 Indians and 25 Chinese nationals have been located by rescuers in Nepal, as authorities continue searching for nearly 1,500 people reported missing in Nepal and Tibet following devastating floods and mudslides.

Nepalese authorities said at least 177 people had died after flash floods swept through communities near the Tibet border. Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal had earlier said that more than 300 Indians were among those missing, the Indian Express reported.

In Tibet, 558 people were reported missing after a glacial collapse triggered a series of mudslides. Chinese state media reported that three people had died and that 260 of those missing were foreign nationals.

The disaster struck Nepal’s Rasuwa district near the Tibet border after a massive mudslide caused severe flooding. Experts have suggested that an ice-and-rock avalanche associated with a glacier, potentially triggered by seismic activity, may have caused the disaster.

At least 403 people were initially reported missing in Nepal, including 341 foreign nationals. Those unaccounted for include tourists and pilgrims travelling towards Mount Kailash as well as workers employed on hydropower projects. Nationals of India, the US, Australia, Britain, Canada, South Korea, Malaysia and Russia were among those reported missing. China separately reported 265 missing people in Tibet’s Gyirong County.

The disaster has particularly affected Indian travellers. Nepalese tourism authorities said the whereabouts of around 300 Indian nationals and 37 non-resident Indians were being verified, with many believed to have been travelling along the Kailash Mansarovar route. A Nepal Tourism Board spokesperson said 133 of the tourists were Indians travelling on pilgrimage.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah and offered India’s assistance for relief and rescue operations. The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu is coordinating with Nepalese authorities to track missing Indian nationals and assist those affected.

India has also sent humanitarian assistance and essential medicines to Nepal. The aid includes emergency supplies intended to support the country’s ongoing relief operations following the floods and landslides.

The disaster has also raised concerns in India, particularly in Bihar, where authorities have issued an alert over the possibility of flooding as Himalayan rivers swell following heavy rainfall and flooding upstream.

The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu has issued emergency helpline numbers for people seeking assistance. The numbers, which can also be contacted through WhatsApp, are +977 985 131 6807, +977 970 910 7500 and +977 981 032 6117.