Nepal floods: Hundreds of foreign tourists still unaccounted for, says tourism board
At least 476 foreign visitors from 29 countries are among the roughly 570 tourists still unaccounted for after catastrophic flooding swept through Nepal and parts of China's Tibet region, according to Nepalese tourism officials speaking Thursday.
The disaster, triggered by intense monsoon rains, has strained rescue and identification efforts across the mountainous border region. State broadcaster CCTV reported that 260 foreigners were missing in Tibet's Gyirong county, though a breakdown of their nationalities has yet to be released.
Nepal's tourism board released a preliminary list of affected countries, offering one of the clearest pictures yet of the disaster's international reach. The figures are expected to change as communication links are restored and embassies verify reports from remote trekking routes and border towns.
INDIA: The largest number of missing tourists is from neighboring India, with 177 people unaccounted for, Nepal's tourism board said.
UNITED STATES: At least 63 U.S. citizens are reported missing, according to the board.
MALAYSIA: Malaysia's foreign ministry said 55 nationals were uncontactable as of Thursday, while Nepal's tourism board put the number at 28. The discrepancy highlights the difficulty of confirming cases in the immediate aftermath of the flooding.
UKRAINE: Authorities reported 53 Ukrainian citizens missing in the flood.
BRITAIN: Thirty-three British citizens are among the missing, the tourism board said.
AUSTRALIA: Foreign Minister Penny Wong said authorities are working with Nepal to locate 34 Australians reported missing.
CANADA: The missing include 25 Canadians, according to the board.
SOUTH KOREA: South Korea's foreign ministry said Wednesday that nine of its nationals working at a hydropower plant were missing and ten others were stranded.
GERMANY: At least eight Germans were among the missing, the tourism board said.
SINGAPORE: Six Singaporean citizens were unaccounted for, the board said.
SOUTH AFRICA: Six South Africans were reported untraceable after the flooding, Nepalese authorities said.
JAPAN: Japan's embassy in Nepal has formally requested a search for five citizens it has been unable to contact, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on X.
NEW ZEALAND: At least five New Zealand tourists are listed among the missing, Nepal said.
RUSSIA: Five Russians were also on the tourism board's list.
Authorities also confirmed that citizens of Belarus, Belgium, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Portugal, Spain and Sweden remain missing since the floods began Wednesday.
The disaster has raised broader concerns about the vulnerability of popular Himalayan trekking corridors during extreme weather events. Local officials warn that landslides have blocked several key highways and trails, slowing both evacuations and the delivery of humanitarian aid. With more monsoon rain forecast in the coming days, the number of tourists confirmed safe is likely to rise slowly as search teams push deeper into affected valleys.