Death toll from Nepal flood passes 350 with over 1,000 missing

The number of dead and missing people continued rising in northern Nepal Thursday following flash floods and mudslides that hit the day before. Totals varied, but it’s believed that over 1,300 people remained missing, including at least 700 foreigners, and Nepali police reported that the official death toll was up to 359 and expected to rise.

The floodwaters rushed through and destroyed roads, bridges, buildings, electrical infrastructure, and communications networks, U.S. Embassy Nepal said in a statement. Nepal officials deployed nearly 14,000 personnel to aid in search-and-rescue efforts, in addition to many locals and volunteers, local news outlet Routine of Nepal banda reported. The United Nations chief of humanitarian relief, Tom Fletcher, also allocated at least $2 million from the UN’s Global Emergency Fund to support Nepal’s search-and-rescue efforts.

The flood hit during a tourist-heavy Hindu festival, and peak season for pilgrims hiking up sacred Mount Kailash in southwestern Tibet. The hundreds of missing tourists included nationals from the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and India. At least 290 Indian nationals were unreachable, India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal shared mid-Thursday. Russian President Vladimir Putin offered condolences on Thursday to the people of Nepal. Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine stood in solidarity with the people of Nepal, and was closely following reports of Ukrainians missing in the region. 

Police in Nepal urged citizens to avoid flood-affected areas and to follow the instructions from Nepali leaders and police amid ongoing rescue operations. Police worked to identify hundreds of unclaimed bodies and shared a database for citizens and tourists to look for loved ones. The force also worked to halt looting from the bodies, warning the public against it in an announcement about the arrest of two individuals who were accused of stealing jewelry from dead bodies.