A total of 22 bodies have been recovered after heavy flooding in the border areas of Nepal and Tibet, a police official said, Reuters and DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
384 tourists are missing, more than 290 of them foreigners. Among the missing are 92 Nepalese.
“Most of the foreigners are Indians who used this route to travel to Kailash-Mansarovar in Tibet“, Nepal Tourism Board Director Santosh Panta told DPA.
Among the foreigners are also citizens of the United States, Spain, Lithuania and Germany.
The police initially said that 26 police officers were also missing.
Eight South Koreans working at a hydroelectric power plant are missing, and another 10 are stranded in the area and are waiting to be evacuated by helicopter. The workers are employees of “Korea Energy” and “Doosan Energy” (Doosan Enerbility), reported the South Korean Yonhap news agency, citing the country's foreign ministry.
South Korea has set up a crisis headquarters and plans to send a rapid response team.
The flood has affected the border areas of Nepal and Tibet and destroyed roads, bridges and hydroelectric facilities. Rescue operations are ongoing, with authorities in Nepal and China mobilizing forces and equipment.