Some missing tourists make contact as Nepal flood death toll tops 1,100

KATHMANDU, Nepal — As the death toll from catastrophic floods in Nepal surpassed 1,100, some previously reported missing tourists have reached out to authorities, officials announced on Wednesday. Search efforts persist, with 324 foreign nationals already rescued and approximately 590 from 39 countries still unaccounted for a week after the August 26 floods.

Among those missing tourists, five Australians have been confirmed safe, bringing the total number of Australians missing from 43 to 38. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, attending a regional summit in Palau, expressed optimism amidst the tragedy, urging continued collaboration with authorities to find more survivors. Nepal's tourism board reported that at least five other foreign tourists who were missing have also reached out to authorities via email or phone.

In China, rescue crews constructed a makeshift road to the disaster site at Gyirong Port, where heavy machinery will be deployed to aid in the search following the floods that destroyed a crucial access route. The disaster originated on August 26 as a glacial collapse in the Himalayas sent rock, ice, and meltwater cascading into valleys, triggering devastating floods that swept away homes, buildings, roads, and bridges across Tibet and Nepal, leaving a path of destruction and loss in their wake.