Nepal flash flood tears through valley leaving 400 tourists missing, including Americans

At least nine people were killed and 384 still listed as missing in Nepal Wednesday after flash flooding tore through valleys in the Himalayan country’s northern border areas. At least three U.S. nationals were listed among the 291 foreigners missing, according to Nepal’s Tourism Board, which cited information from tour companies. 

The flash floods decimated villages, slamming into houses, roads, bridges and power plants. Videos broadcast by regional news outlets and posted on social media show violent torrents of water surging through valleys and mountain p***es, tearing down bridges and dams and sweeping away buildings. 

A sudden surge of water Wednesday morning in the Bhote Koshi River, in the country’s northern Rasuwa district north of capital Kathmandu, quickly affected the neighboring Nuwakot and Dhading districts. 

Nepali President Ramachandra Paudel said he was “extremely saddened” by the “loss of lives and property caused by the sudden flood.”

He called on the government, political parties, agencies and the general public to intensify rescue and relief efforts. 

“There could be heavy casualties or loss of property,” district administrator Narendra Pariyar was quoted as saying by Reuters. He has also urged people living along the banks of the Bhote Koshi River to move to higher ground. 

Nepal’s mountainous terrain, dotted with deep valleys and narrow gorges, make rescue and relief operations challenging. Helicopters could not land in the affected areas of Syapru Besi and Timure, Reuters said. 

In addition to the three Americans, the 291 foreign nationals reported missing included 12 British, 142 Indian, 17 Malaysian, four South African, eight South Korean, one Australian and one Dutch national. The nationalities of 111 other missing people had yet to be ascertained, authorities said. 

Most of the missing foreigners were on trips organized by tourism and travel companies. 

The flash flood was caused by an earthquake that triggered a large landslide, which blocked the Bhote Koshi River, according to Nepal’s foreign minister Shishir Kh***.