Nepal-Tibet flood death toll rises to 797, officials say, more than 3,000 missing
LONDON -- The death toll from last week's flash flooding disaster in the Nepal-Tibet border region rose to nearly 800 people as of Sunday, according to the latest updates from Nepali and Chinese officials.
At least 781 bodies had been recovered in Nepal as of Sunday, the Nepal National Disaster Management Authority said in a post to X. At least 2,502 people are still missing, the authority said.
On the other side of the border, China's state-run Xinhua News Agency said that at least 16 people had been confirmed killed. Another 546 people were still missing, Xinhua reported.
At least 85 Americans were still among the missing as of Sunday, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told ABC News' Martha Raddatz Sunday on "This Week." Nine Americans total had been evacuated, Pigott said, up from five on Friday.
"Our priority is the safety and security of the American people. As you mentioned, the remoteness of this location makes getting reliable information difficult. But our dedication remains," Pigott added. "We have activated from the State Department $3.6 million in emergency humanitarian assistance that includes up to three months of emergency food for up to 10,000 flood-affected households."
The flooding, captured in dramatic video footage, occurred in the northern Rasuwa district along the border with Tibet at around 8:40 a.m. local time Wednesday, authorities said. The flooding inundated areas along the Trishuli River, burying some buildings and damaging bridges and roadways.
The deadly wall of water that descended from the mountains on the border between Nepal and Tibet caused destruction at least 62 miles downriver from the border in Nepal, an ABC News analysis of verified video and satellite images shows.
The flood was reportedly triggered by a landslide about 12 miles northeast of the Rasuwagadhi border post along the Nepal-China frontier, according to Nepal Disaster Management.
A 5.2-magnitude landslide was registered in Nepal on Wednesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The initial location of the glacier was a cliff about 16,000 feet high. The debris avalanche, or landslide, slid down 6,000 feet on the slope, the USGS said.
ABC News' Rashid Haddou contributed to this report.
