Nepal flood tragedy leaves over 600 dead, nearly 2,500 missing as rescue race intensifies

Nepal's devastating flash floods have left a staggering human toll, with the death count rising to at least 616 and nearly 2,500 people still missing across Nepal and Tibet, as rescue teams continue a desperate search for survivors.

The scale of the disaster has continued to grow as authorities revise their figures, with different agencies reporting varying numbers amid the fast-moving rescue operation.

Nepal's disaster agency said Friday that 1,924 people were missing on its side of the border, while China's state news agency Xinhua reported early Saturday that 554 people remained missing in Tibet, where seven deaths had been confirmed.

Together, at least 2,478 people remain untraced across the two regions.

The disaster has also left hundreds of families waiting anxiously for news of loved ones who vanished after the sudden wall of water tore through settlements, roads and infrastructure.

Among those anxiously awaiting word are relatives of people trapped or missing in the flood-hit region.

"I am hoping and really praying for the safe return of my parents, who were in the area when the floods struck,” BBC quoted Prajval Haldia as having said from south London.

His anguish reflects the uncertainty confronting families across the disaster zone, where rescue teams are still trying to reach isolated areas and establish the whereabouts of those swept away by the torrent.

Local officials said that a collapsed glacier triggered the enormous flood wave, sending a surge of water through communities and destroying homes and roads. The disaster also demolished a key border crossing between Nepal and Tibet, severely complicating rescue and relief efforts.

The number of people rescued remains unclear as authorities continue to compile figures from different locations.

The Nepal Tourism Board said 121 tourists had been rescued, although the overall number of people brought to safety, including local residents and foreign workers, was not immediately available.

Nepal's disaster agency said Friday that at least 579 people had been killed, bringing the reported total to at least 586, while police later put the death toll at 616. The differing figures underline the difficulty of establishing the full scale of the catastrophe while rescue and recovery operations remain underway.

Foreign nationals among the missing

The disaster has also affected a large number of foreign nationals who were travelling, working or staying in the region.

Nepal's disaster agency said 517 foreigners were still missing, a figure that could include both tourists and foreign workers. Chinese officials, meanwhile, put the number of foreigners missing at 260 on their side of the border.

Taken together, the figures indicate that at least 777 foreign nationals could be unaccounted for across Nepal and Tibet, although the number remains fluid and authorities have provided conflicting figures.

The Nepal Tourism Board said 149 Nepali tourists were among 622 people it listed as missing, while the disaster agency put the number of missing Nepali tourists at 127.

It was not immediately clear how many local Nepali residents remained unaccounted for, although the number is believed to be in the hundreds.

Chinese nationals among those missing

China's Foreign Ministry said Thursday that nearly 100 Chinese nationals were among those missing in Nepal.

However, the Nepal Tourism Board reported that eight Chinese citizens were unaccounted for and 16 had been rescued.

On the Chinese side of the border, Xinhua reported that 554 people remained missing, in addition to the seven confirmed deaths.

The figures have yet to be fully reconciled.

India among countries affected

The Nepal Tourism Board said 98 Indians were missing, while another 85 had been rescued.

The United States said 90 of its citizens were missing, according to the State Department, which said three had been rescued and that it was not aware of any US fatalities. The Nepal Tourism Board, however, put the number of missing US citizens at 65, with two rescued.

Ukraine's embassy in Nepal said it was aware of 62 Ukrainian citizens with whom contact had been lost, while the Nepal Tourism Board put the number of Ukrainians missing at 61.

Australia's Assistant Immigration Minister Matt Thistlethwaite said Saturday that the number of Australians unaccounted for had risen to 41.

The Nepal Tourism Board reported 33 Britons, 29 Latvians, 25 Canadians and nine South Korean tourists among those missing.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry separately said it had received no news from nine hydropower workers.

Nine Singaporeans, eight Germans and nine Russians were also reported missing, with two Russians rescued, according to Nepal Tourism Board figures.

Search continues

Other nationals reported missing include citizens of South Africa, Japan, New Zealand, France, Spain, Belgium, Hungary, Portugal, the Netherlands, Italy, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Finland, Israel, Lithuania, the Philippines, Serbia, Switzerland, Sweden and Vietnam.

The figures vary significantly between governments and Nepalese authorities, reflecting the continuing difficulty of determining exactly how many people were in the affected areas when the flood struck.

China has also reported 260 foreigners missing on its side of the border, but has not provided a breakdown by nationality.

The nationalities of many non-tourists reported missing in Nepal have likewise not been disclosed.

For rescuers, however, the immediate priority remains unchanged: find those who are still alive, reach isolated communities and bring survivors to safety.

With thousands still unaccounted for and families waiting desperately for word from loved ones, the search continues amid the devastation left by one of the region's most catastrophic flash floods.