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THE United States and Canada have pledged emergency assistance to Nepal as the death toll from catastrophic flash floods and landslides near the Chinese border rose to at least 160, with more than 680 people still missing.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington stood ready to provide the humanitarian assistance needed by the Nepalese government, while expressing solidarity with the country following one of the region’s worst recent disasters.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also described the catastrophe as “absolutely devastating” and said Ottawa was prepared to offer support.
“Canadians are thinking of all those in distress, those who have lost loved ones, and those still waiting for answers,” Reuters reported Carney saying in a post on X.
According to Nepalese authorities, at least 47 Americans and 24 Canadians remain missing following the disaster, although the figures have not been independently confirmed by the US and Canadian governments.
The devastating floods and landslides struck communities near Nepal’s border with China after a huge mass of rock, ice and mud collapsed into a river, unleashing torrents that swept away villages, roads, bridges, vehicles and critical infrastructure.
The disaster has dealt a severe blow to the country’s infrastructure, with government estimates showing that 13 hydropower projects and about 40 kilometres of roads were destroyed.
Around 200 lorries and 19 bridges were also swept away by the powerful torrents of mud and water.
The catastrophe initially left at least 157 bodies recovered, with more than 400 tourists reported missing, including around 340 foreign nationals, amid fears that the final death toll could rise substantially.
The missing included 47 Americans, 34 Australians, 33 Britons and 24 Canadians, while 133 Indian nationals travelling on a pilgrimage were also unaccounted for, according to Nepalese tourism officials.
China has separately reported “major casualties” after a mudslide struck the Gyirong border crossing in Tibet, where three people were confirmed dead and 265 others remained missing as rescue operations continued.
Initial reports suggested that an earthquake may have triggered the collapse of part of a glacier, unleashing the flood.
However, the United States Geological Survey later said the tremor detected around the time of the disaster was itself caused by glacial rock and ice collapsing onto the valley floor.
The scale of the destruction has hampered rescue operations across the mountainous region, with helicopters unable to land in some of the worst-affected areas because of swollen rivers and unstable terrain.
The affected region lies along a popular route to Kailash Manasarovar in Tibet, a sacred destination visited by hundreds of Hindu pilgrims every year.
The United Nations has also mobilised personnel and supplies to support affected communities as the international response gathers pace.
With vast areas buried beneath mud and debris and critical roads, bridges and power infrastructure destroyed, hopes of finding more survivors were fading as rescue workers continued their desperate search for the hundreds still missing.
The Nepal Tourism Board reported on Wedesnday that 17 Malaysians were also not accounted for. - August 27, 2026
