China this Sunday said 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries were missing on the Tibetan side of a border crossing with Nepal following a mudslide which tore through the Himalayan region, while the death toll in Tibet has reached 16 people.
Officials from China’s Tibet Autonomous Region said at a press conference that the highest number of missing foreigners was from Nepal at 104, while 49 Indian, 33 Latvian, 18 American and 15 British citizens were also unaccounted for. They said authorities in Beijing have notified foreign missions.
The nationality breakdown was the first from the Chinese side since the collapse of a glacier on Wednesday unleashed a torrent of ice, rock, mud and debris down Himalayan rivers.
Authorities said 16 people had died in Gyirong County as of Saturday evening and that 546 were missing.
In Nepal, the disaster authority said at least 675 people were killed on its side of the border, 2 498 are missing and 7 514 have been rescued.
Local police told Reuters that residents and rescue workers have moved to higher ground after the water level in the nearby Trishuli River rose over the past few hours, underscoring the risk of further flooding even as rescue efforts continue.
—Reuters—
