Hundreds of tourists, including foreign nationals, have been reported missing after devastating flash floods swept through parts of Nepal on Wednesday, killing at least 95 people.
The disaster struck the Himalayan nation’s border region with Tibet, leaving hundreds of travellers unaccounted for hours after the floods.
According to Nepal’s Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, 403 visitors, including 341 foreign nationals, were initially reported missing.
However, in its second situation update posted on X, the Nepal Tourism Board put the number of missing travellers at 384, including 291 foreigners, noting that the nationalities of many of those affected had yet to be confirmed.
The disaster has particularly affected Nepal’s tourism sector, with the country being a major destination for hikers, trekkers and climbers from around the world.
The Nepal Tourism Board said 142 Indian nationals were among those missing. They were reportedly travelling with Samrat Tours & Travels, Leaf Holiday and Himalayan Glacier.
Seventeen Malaysian tourists travelling with Fishtail Tours & Travels were also reported missing.
However, Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry said its embassy in Kathmandu had received information from travel agencies indicating that contact had been lost with 11 Malaysian nationals believed to be in Rasuwa District.
Twelve British citizens travelling with Alpine Eco Trek were also listed as missing, alongside four South Africans who were with the same travel agency.
Three American citizens travelling with Fishtail Tours & Travels were reported unaccounted for.
The tourism board also listed one Portuguese woman, one Australian and one Dutch citizen among those missing.
Meanwhile, South Korean authorities confirmed that eight hydropower workers had lost contact with officials in Rasuwa District following the floods.
Italy’s Foreign Ministry said two Italian tourists and their guide were stranded upstream following a landslide but were receiving assistance.
Several tour groups also reported missing foreign travellers whose nationalities had yet to be confirmed.
These include 77 tourists travelling with Trekkers Society, 26 with Kailash Journey and eight with Richa Tours & Travels.
In addition to the missing foreign nationals, the Nepal Tourism Board said 93 Nepali citizens were also unaccounted for.
Rescue and search efforts are expected to continue as authorities work to determine the fate of the missing tourists and assess the full scale of the devastation caused by the flash floods.
