At least 160 people have been killed and hundreds of foreign tourists remain missing after flash floods tore through villages on the border between Nepal and the Tibet region.
Thirty-three British tourists are believed to be among those missing, including a 13-year-old girl.
In an update on Wednesday evening, Nepal police said 157 bodies had been recovered and more than 40 people were injured and receiving treatment in hospital.
China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported 265 missing in the Tibet region’s Gyirong County near the border, and at least three dead, bringing the death toll up to 160 in total.
The Nepal Tourist Board said the number of missing people had risen from 384 to 403. Among the 341 foreign nationals unaccounted for, 47 are from the US, 34 from Australia, and 24 from Canada.
According to the tourist board, 203 of the missing are male and 200 female.
Dramatic video footage showed a wall of water crashing through river banks, bringing down bridges, homes and other infrastructure in villages along the Bhotekoshi River.
Experts said an avalanche from a glacier was the likely cause in the warming Himalaya region.
Officials issued warnings to residents of several of Nepal’s districts and asked them to stay away from the banks of Bhotekoshi, Trishuli and Narayani rivers. – Independent UK.
