Nepal: Death toll rises as 65 Americans among hundreds still missing

On Thursday, rescue teams were searching for hundreds of missing people along the Nepal-China border after a deadly debris flow swept through several communities following a glacier outburst.

According to local reports, the National Emergency Operation Center said that the missing included 113 Nepali tourists, and 85 security personnel from the army as authorities intensified search-operations in the worst-affected districts of Nuwakot and Rasuwa.

The senior director of the Nepal Tourism Board, Hikmat Singh Ayer further confirmed that at least 65 Americans were among the missing foreign nationals in the small Himalayan nation.

Given the serious situation ongoing, the US State Department said it was carefully observing developments and sending an adviser to the region to help with response efforts.

The US Geological Survey reported a magnitude 4.4 earthquake on Wednesday but later updated its analysis to say the measured seismic event was a major glacial collapse that sent rapidly moving rivers of liquid mud and debris having a devastating impact on local communities.

The rugged terrain and montane landscape below the Himalayan mountain range are prone to flooding where extreme weather events like melting glaciers have become more common due to human-caused climate change.