Nepal floods: Death toll crosses 270, more than 1,300 remain missing

More than 1300 people have been reported missing and over 270 confirmed dead after devastating flash floods and landslides struck areas along the NepalTibet border news agency AFP reportedAmong those unaccounted for are hikers climbers and tourists from across the world many of whom travel to Nepal to take on some of the worlds highest peaks as well as Hindu devotees visiting the Himalayan nation on pilgrimageAt least 178 Indians are among those reported missing according to the latest figures released by Nepals Tourism Board on ThursdayThe numbers are likely to change as search and rescue operations continue Such fluctuations are common after major disasters with authorities facing challenges including doublecounting of dual nationals matching recovered bodies with missingperson reports and the sheer chaos following a calamityHeres the latest on those reported missingAt least 1381 people unaccounted forNepals disaster agency said 823 people were unaccounted for on Thursday including at least 517 foreigners It did not provide a breakdown of the Nepali nationals or the nationalities of the foreignersNepals Tourism Board meanwhile put the number of missing tourists mdash Nepali and foreign mdash at 644 Its latest figures provided a breakdown of several nationalitiesAcross the border in Tibet China said 558 people including 260 foreigners were missingTaken together the figures amount to at least 1381 people reported missing across the two sides of the border although it is unclear whether there is any overlap between the listsIndiaNepals latest Tourism Board figures showed 178 Indian nationals were missing following the floodsThe figure makes India one of the countries with the largest number of nationals reported missing in the disasterNepalThe Nepal Tourism Board said 127 Nepali visitors were among the 644 tourists listed as missingIt was not immediately clear how many Nepali residents from the affected areas were also missingChinaChinas Foreign Ministry said nearly 100 Chinese nationals were among those missing in NepalThis was in addition to the 558 people including 260 foreigners reported missing on the Chinese side of the borderUnited StatesSixtyfive US citizens were reported missing a sharp increase from a day earlier when the figure was less than 15UkraineUkraines Foreign Ministry cited Nepals Tourist Police as saying 53 Ukrainian nationals were missing The figure was also reported in Nepals latest figuresMalaysiaMalaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said more than 50 Malaysians in Nepal could not be reachedThe latest figures put the number at 51AustraliaThirtyfour Australians were reported missing following the floods Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said The latest figures put the number at 35United KingdomThirtythree people from the United Kingdom were reported missingCanadaTwentyfive Canadians were among those reported missingSouth KoreaSouth Koreas Foreign Ministry said nine hydropower workers were out of contact in Rasuwa district following the floodsSingaporeNine Singaporeans were unaccounted forGermanyEight German citizens were reported missingRussiaEight Russian nationals were also unaccounted forSouth AfricaSix South African tourists were missingLatviaSix Latvian tourists were also among those reported missingJapanFive Japanese tourists were unaccounted forNew ZealandNew Zealands Foreign Affairs Ministry said five New Zealanders were unaccounted for matching the latest figuresFranceFour French citizens were among the missingSpainSpains Foreign Ministry reported four Spaniards missing while the latest figures put the number at threeOther nationalitiesBelgium ThreePortugal Two Netherlands TwoItaly TwoIreland TwoKazakhstan TwoHungary TwoBelarus OneBulgaria OneFinland OneIsrael OneLithuania OnePhilippines OneSerbia OneSweden OneSwitzerland OneThe figures above are from Nepals latest data released on ThursdayNationalities yet to be confirmedChinas figure of 260 foreigners among the 558 missing on its side of the border did not include a breakdown by nationalitySeveral tour groups operating in Nepal also reported missing foreign nationals on Wednesday before the latest Tourism Board figures were releasedThese included 77 people with Trekkers Society 26 with Kailash Journey and eight with Richa Tours amp TravelsIt was not immediately clear whether the latest Nepal Tourism Board figures included these missing travellersWith AFP inputs