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By Marni Rose McFall and Hollie Silverman
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State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Sunday that 85 Americans remain unaccounted for in the wake of last week's catastrophic flash floods across Nepal and Tibet, as Nepali authorities warn of continued flooding threats as the death toll surpasses 800.
Pigott said the number of missing Americans is roughly 20 higher than a preliminary list released earlier by the Nepal Tourist Department (NTD). Speaking Sunday on ABC News' This Week, he noted that U.S. officials are "currently unaware of any U.S. citizen deaths at this time," adding that nine Americans have been safely evacuated.
The disaster, triggered Wednesday by a glacial collapse in the Himalayan region, unleashed an avalanche of ice and rock that blocked a river and sent a sudden surge downstream. The wall of water tore through villages, roads, and hydropower projects in Nepal’s Rasuwa district before crossing into Tibet, where Chinese state media reported 261 foreigners are also missing.
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The disaster has left more than 3,000 people missing across Nepal and Tibet.
Authorities Issue Flood Warnings
Nepal authorities have warned of possible flooding throughout Sunday morning.
Residents in flood-affected districts have been urged to remain on high alert after water levels in the Bhotekoshi River rose, with people receiving flood warnings on their phones. Rescue crews are working to clear a major highway connecting Kathmandu to one of the areas that were worst hit by the floods.
Aerial rescue operations have been made challenging by poor weather and challenging terrain.
Meanwhile, the Rasuwa district experienced similar flooding last August. Then, a glacial lake in Tibet, the neighboring area, overflowed amid high temperatures in the mountain region. Nine people were killed, and critical infrastructure was damaged, including a bridge connecting Nepal and China.
The Himalayan region is especially vulnerable to floods, heavy rainfall and landslides as it is warming faster than the rest of the world as a result of human-caused climate change.
Research by the Kathmandu-based organization International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development found that glacier ice loss across the vast mountainous Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region has doubled since 2000, mainly because of rising global temperatures.
The HKH includes the 500-mile Hindu Kush system in Afghanistan and its ranges stretch approximately 2,175 miles across eight countries in Central and South Asia, including Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Bangladesh and Myanmar, making it one of the most extensive and significant mountain systems in the world.
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American Families Speak Out About Missing Loved Ones
The aftermath of the flooding has been devastating, and the uncertainty has been agonizing for families.
Jigisha Motwani, a Long Island, New York, resident whose family has known missing travelers Jitendra Patel and Amita Amin for decades, previously told Newsweek she was "gutted" when she learned they were among those unaccounted for.
Motwani said they are like an extended family.
"I hope we can find a way to get in touch with them and bring them back," she said.
Manmeet Singh Meet, a close friend of Jiwan Jyoti, a Lexington, Massachusetts, resident listed as "out of contact," told Newsweek he has known her for more than 15 years and is helping support her family as loved ones search for answers.
"It’s very heartbreaking," he said. "We are trying to get closure, to be very honest with you."
Authorities have yet to confirm whether those listed by the NTD as out of contact are confirmed missing, injured, stranded or otherwise unable to communicate because of the disaster.
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Nepal Begins Mass Burials
Nepal’s Chitwan district has become the site for mass burials.
Hundreds of unidentified victims, whose bodies were swept away, are being buried, as authorities have dug hundreds of graves in the Devghat forest.
The area will serve as a temporary burial ground for bodies that are too badly decomposed to be identified.
Meanwhile, 96 bodies were buried in the area on Saturday, and authorities plan to bury more than 100 others. Recovery teams are continuing to retrieve victims from piles of debris, and rivers.
“We were left with no other option and had to take this step. Our concern was the risk to public health posed by the rapid decomposition of the bodies,” Ganesh Arya, the chief district officer of Bharatpur Chitwan, said, as per Reuters.
DNA samples have been collected from the unidentified dead by the Nepalese authorities. This will allow them to locate and exhume remains if victims are later identified through family claims, genetic testing or official records.
President Trump and the State Department Address the Flooding
Pigott said Sunday that while 85 Americans are believed to be missing, the number could change as authorities continue contacting travelers and gathering information from affected areas.
Pigott cautioned that the region was difficult to access even before the disaster struck, saying the devastation has further complicated search and communication efforts. "The highest priority [is] getting accurate information from the region," he said. "A hard region to reach at the best of times, made even more so by the devastation and the remoteness that we see."
The United States has already deployed personnel and humanitarian aid as it works with local authorities to assess needs on the ground. Pigott said a disaster response advisor is in the affected area coordinating with government officials and determining what additional assistance may be required.
According to Pigott, the State Department has activated $3.6 million in emergency humanitarian assistance, including enough emergency food supplies to support up to 10,000 flood-affected households for three months. Funding will also help restore damaged roads and improve access to isolated communities.
"We actually have the first U.S. assistance on the ground already to address this humanitarian disaster," Pigott said, adding that aid efforts include providing food, sanitation supplies, shelter and clean water, while also supporting transportation options needed to reach communities cut off by flood damage and mudslides.
The State Department has also increased consular resources in the region, with U.S. embassies working around the clock to contact Americans and coordinate with local officials. Pigott urged Americans in the area to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), saying it helps officials track and communicate with U.S. citizens during emergencies.
"Our highest priority [is] helping the American people," Pigott said. "Our dedication remains; our commitment remains."
In a press release on Wednesday, the State Department said the U.S. "extends its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in the devastating flash floods in the Rasuwa district of Nepal."
While speaking to reporters on Thursday in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump said: "We’ve offered any help that they need.
"That was brutal. Nobody’s ever seen anything quite like that," he said. "Strong, well-built buildings were wiped out like they were toothpicks. It's a terrible thing. We are sending aid, and we've spoken to leadership, and we let them know anything they want will happen."
The president added that he didn't have a "full list" of the Americans who were in Nepal at the time when speaking Thursday.
"Hopefully they're OK, but that looked like something where somebody will be lost, unfortunately," he said.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes, Anthony Murray and Trevor Davies.
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