Rescuers search for dozens of Britons among those missing in Nepal after floods

Rescuers are scouring Nepal for dozens of British nationals among those reported missing and feared deceased after catastrophic flash floods. The Nepal Police confirmed on Wednesday evening that 157 bodies had been retrieved following the flooding in the Rasuwa region, adjacent to China's Tibet autonomous region. The number of missing individuals had increased from 384 to 403, with 33 UK citizens among 341 foreign nationals unaccounted for, according to the Nepal Tourist Board.

Flash floods caused rivers to overflow their banks, depositing thick mud over populated areas and burying houses, creating challenging conditions for rescue efforts. Videos on social media depicted massive floodwaters surging through valleys, as terrified individuals screamed, while bridges were swept away. The United States Geological Survey reported a magnitude 5.2 seismic event near the Nepal-China border at 8:37am local time, with a subsequent "glacial collapse and debris flow" causing devastating impacts downstream.

Kalpana Malla, from Nepal's Nuwakot district, recounted her family members being swept away by the flood before her very eyes. She and her son survived by climbing onto a rooftop, while her father, mother, sister, and her sister's children perished in the flood. Mayor Rajan Shrestha of Bidur municipality stated that he had never witnessed such a massive flood in his life and estimated that about 400 people may have perished.

Among the missing are 47 people from the US, 34 from Australia, 24 from Canada, and 13 British nationals, including three men aged 65, 64, and 52, and seven women aged 44, 47, 51, 60, 63, 63, and 65. The UK-based tour operator Alpine Eco Trek confirmed that a 13-year-old girl and two Irish citizens are also among the missing. The company's manager, Kumar Adhikari, expressed deep sorrow, noting that the tour group, on a nine-day expedition to Mount Kailash, became trapped at the border when the flash floods struck.

Adhikari revealed that their phones went offline at 8:40am, and their fate might have been sealed inside the Tibet immigration office as the floodwaters ravaged both Nepal and Tibet. The USGS clarified that the initial earthquake report of magnitude 4.4 was revised after additional analysis, which identified the event as a glacial collapse and debris flow, with no earthquake occurring.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged the government's full support for British nationals in Nepal, while the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office expressed deep sorrow and urged British nationals to heed local authorities' advice and exercise caution while traveling.