China said on Sunday that 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries remain unaccounted for on the Tibetan side of a border crossing with Nepal after a massive mudslide struck the Himalayan region.
According to media reports quoting Chinese authorities, the disaster has killed at least 16 people in Tibet.
Officials from the Tibet Autonomous Region said Nepalese nationals account for the largest group of missing foreigners, with 104 people unaccounted for. The list also includes 49 Indians, 33 Latvians, 18 Americans and 15 British citizens.
Chinese authorities said foreign diplomatic missions had been informed about the missing nationals. The figures provide the first detailed breakdown of missing foreign nationals released by China since Wednesday, when a glacier collapse triggered a powerful flow of ice, rocks, mud and debris through rivers in the Himalayas.
Authorities said that by Saturday evening, 16 people had died in Gyirong County, while 546 people remained missing on the Tibetan side.
The disaster has also caused widespread devastation in Nepal. According to the country’s disaster management authorities, at least 675 people have died, 2,498 remain missing and 7,514 have been rescued.
Meanwhile, residents and rescue personnel in affected areas were forced to move to higher ground after the water level of the nearby Trishuli River increased, raising concerns about additional flooding and complicating ongoing rescue operations.
Chinese authorities have linked the disaster to the long-term effects of global warming. State broadcaster CCTV reported that scientists believe instability in glaciers contributed to the incident, describing it as an emerging and increasingly significant form of disaster affecting the Tibetan Plateau’s cryosphere.
China has deployed more than 2,100 emergency personnel to assist with the response and allocated at least 220 million yuan ($32.7 million) for relief operations.
China is also supporting Nepal by providing emergency financial assistance, relief materials, satellite and hydrological information, as well as specialists experienced in tunnel rescue operations.
