State Department Says 90 Americans May Be Affected by Nepal-China Border Floods
Exterior of the U.S. Department of State Harry S. Truman Building, Washington, D.C. (Official State Department photo by Linda D. Epstein)
The U.S. State Department said it is aware of approximately 90 Americans who may have been affected by flooding in the Nepal-China border region, while confirming that three U.S. citizens have been safely rescued in Nepal.
In response to an inquiry from NepYork, a State Department spokesperson said Thursday that the department had received no reports of U.S. citizen deaths as of 8 a.m. EDT.
“As of 8 a.m. EST on August 27, the State Department is aware of approximately 90 Americans who may be impacted by the floods in the Nepal-China cross-border region and is closely tracking the situation. We can confirm that three American citizens have been safely rescued in Nepal. We are not aware of any U.S. citizen deaths at this time,” the State Department spokesperson said.
“The Trump Administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans,” the spokesperson added.
The U.S. embassies in Nepal and China are coordinating with local authorities and tour agencies to assist Americans in affected areas, the department said. Nepali-led search-and-rescue operations were continuing.
The State Department also deployed a disaster-response adviser to the region and will provide $500,000 through its global award with Catholic Relief Services. The funding will support emergency shelter, relief supplies, and water, sanitation and hygiene assistance for flood-affected communities in Nepal, according to the spokesperson.
The department urged Americans in the region to follow local emergency instructions, monitor local news, and enroll in the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program at STEP.state.gov for emergency updates.
Americans who are in or recently traveled through Rasuwa or another affected area in Nepal should email [email protected] with their full name, current location, status, and the name of their tour or trekking company, the department said.
Americans in Gyirong County, Gyirong Port, or other affected areas in China should contact the U.S. Embassy in Beijing through its emergency assistance request system when it is safe to do so. They should provide their name, location, and status.
U.S. citizens seeking information about relatives in Nepal may call 1-888-407-4747 from the United States and Canada, or 1-202-501-4444 from elsewhere. Those seeking information about relatives in China may call 010-8531-4000 from within China or 011-86-10-8531-4000 from the United States.
Nepal Police Releases Names of 65 U.S. Citizens
Nepal Police have released the names of 65 U.S. citizens reported missing after catastrophic flooding along the Bhote Koshi River and in other disaster-affected areas, as search-and-rescue operations continued across parts of Nepal.
The State Department’s estimate that about 90 Americans may have been affected by the flooding is broader than Nepal Police’s preliminary list of 65 missing U.S. citizens. The department said it had confirmed that three Americans were safely rescued in Nepal and was not aware of any U.S. citizen deaths as of 8 a.m. EDT Thursday.
Nepal Police said 644 Nepali and foreign nationals remained unaccounted for. The figure includes 178 Indian citizens, 65 Americans, 53 Ukrainians, 35 Australians, 33 British nationals, and 127 Nepalis, according to the latest police bulletin.
The confirmed death toll had reached 389, police said. Chitwan District recorded 137 recovered bodies, followed by Nawalparasi East with 87, Dhading with 33, Gorkha with 32, Nuwakot and Tanahun with 28 each, Nawalparasi West with 27, and Rasuwa with 17.
Authorities deployed 8,348 police personnel for search, rescue, and recovery operations, while 28 Nepal Police officers remained out of contact in flood-affected areas, the agency said.
Police reported that 466 people had been rescued or treated for injuries, including 289 in Rasuwa, 90 in Nuwakot, 84 in Kathmandu, and three in Dhading.
Communications and transportation routes in affected areas, including locations near the Nepal-Tibet border, have been severely disrupted, complicating efforts to locate people, restore contact, and verify their conditions.
New Yorkers Among Those Missing
New Yorker Rashi Shashidharan, 14, has been missing in Nepal alongside her mother, Rekha Shashidharan, 54, since the catastrophe unfolded Wednesday, according to a family member.
Rashi and Rekha had been traveling together and last spoke with family members at around 7:30 a.m. local time Wednesday, just over an hour before the floods struck.
NepYork reviewed the Nepal Police list and found both Rashi and Rekha among the missing U.S. citizens.
Their family has been seeking information about their whereabouts as search-and-rescue operations continue in the affected areas.
Among the Americans listed as missing are also Ramesh Sharma, 65, and Neelam Kumari Sharma, 64. Their daughter, Radhika Sharma, said in social-media posts that she had been unable to contact her parents after the flooding near the Nepal-China border. She appealed for information from people with contacts in Nepal, Gyirong in Tibet, area hospitals, rescue operations, government agencies, and news organizations.
NepYork reviewed the Nepal Police list and found both Ramesh Sharma and Neelam Kumari Sharma among the missing U.S. citizens.
Police said the missing-person figures are preliminary and may change as rescue crews reach isolated communities, communications are restored, and victims are identified.