US Embassy mobilizes assistance while searching for dozens of its citizens following devastating floods in Nepal

Dozens of citizens from the United States and Canada are among the hundreds of people reported missing following the flash floods and landslides that struck the border region between Nepal and Tibet.

Local authorities confirm, as reported by the BBC, that the death toll has now exceeded 160 people, while rescue teams are struggling to make headway through mudslides and destroyed structures.

According to records from the Nepalese police and the Ministry of Tourism, hundreds of tourists remain unaccounted for. Among the affected foreigners are 54 Americans, 24 Canadians, more than a hundred Indian citizens, and dozens of travelers from the United Kingdom and other countries.

Diplomatic alert and consular assistance deployment

The U.S. State Department confirmed that it is closely monitoring the situation of its citizens in the affected area. For its part, the U.S. Embassy in Nepal issued an official statement expressing its sorrow over the loss of life in Rasuwa District and the communities downstream due to the flooding of the Bhote Koshi River.

"We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life and the devastation caused by the Bhote Koshi flood," the U.S. diplomatic mission stated in its official declaration, adding that it is maintaining "close contact with Nepalese authorities."

The U.S. diplomatic mission also issued safety warnings for its citizens in areas near the Bhote Koshi, Trishuli, and Narayani rivers. The embassy urged the public to stay away from the riverbanks, seek higher ground, and avoid traveling on restricted routes such as the Galchhi–Nuwakot–Rasuwa–Syafrubesi road.

Infrastructure devastated at a strategic location

The disaster hit the Rasuwa district hard, a strategic area that serves as a gateway to popular hiking routes such as the Langtang Valley and the pilgrimage route to Mount Kailash.

A torrent of mud, rocks, and debris destroyed homes, bridges, and key sections of roads, leaving several communities isolated. Preliminary estimates by the Nepalese government put the damage to road infrastructure at more than $98 million.

The cause of the disaster sparked initial speculation about a possible earthquake. However, analysis by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) indicated that the recorded seismic signals were a direct result of a massive landslide of earth and snow on the mountainside.

Search efforts have also expanded to the Chinese side of the border, where state-run media in that country reported fatalities and hundreds of people unaccounted for in the port of Gyirong.