Over 600 foreign tourists still missing after Nepal floods, portal reports

NEW DELHI, September 15. /TASS/. Nepal’s Department of Tourism has released updated data on foreign tourists in the disaster zone, showing that 607 people remain missing after the devastating flood on August 26, Nepal News reported.

According to department official Suraj Ghimire, who spoke to the RSS news agency, there is still no information about the whereabouts of 329 women and 269 men. The identities of nine people have yet to be established.

Most of the missing, 189, are Indian nationals. The list also includes 65 US nationals, 55 Malaysians and 54 Ukrainians, as well as 37 Chinese, 33 Australians and 33 Latvians. There is still no contact with 33 Britons and 30 Canadians.

So far, 310 foreign nationals have been rescued - 258 men and 52 women.

A powerful flood hit northern Nepal in late August, killing nearly 1,400 people. The disaster was caused by an avalanche near the Chinese border, about 20 kilometers northeast of the Rasuwagadhi border crossing. A massive flow of rock and debris traveled more than 70 kilometers along a riverbed at high speed, destroying settlements and flooding a large area. According to the latest data, about 5,000 people remain missing. The Russian Embassy’s missing persons lists include 11 Russian nationals.