Updated on: August 27, 2026 / 9:58 PM EDT
/ CBS/AP
Rescue teams were searching for hundreds of missing people along the Nepal-China border on Thursday after a catastrophic, deadly torrent of floods and mud swept through several communities a day earlier following a glacial collapse. The head of Nepal's tourism board told CBS News that 65 U.S. nationals were among those missing in the wake of the disaster.
The Nepal Police reported at least 360 people dead and more than 1,400 missing in Nepal and Tibet, an autonomous region of China.
Local reports cited the National Emergency Operation Center as saying Thursday that the missing included 113 Nepali tourists, 85 security personnel from the army and police, and 161 residents, as authorities ramped up operations in the worst-affected districts of Nuwakot and Rasuwa.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV separately reported that 558 people were missing in Tibet — 260 of them foreigners — and two villagers were rescued. At least three people were reported killed as of Thursday morning, it said.
Talking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, President Trump said U.S. officials have spoken with Nepalese leaders and offered to provide "anything they want."
Mr. Trump said there were 50 or 60 Americans in the area but added that a full accounting hasn't been completed.
Hikmat Singh Ayer, CEO and senior director of the Nepal Tourism Board, told CBS News' Arshad R. Zargar on Thursday that at least 65 Americans were among the missing foreign nationals in the small Himalayan nation, almost doubling the number of U.S. nationals reported missing the previous day.
In a subsequent update, the tourism board said 27 foreign nationals had been rescued from the flood zone in the Rasuwa district, including two U.S. nationals identified as a man and woman in their 50s.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson told CBS News on Thursday that the agency was aware of about 90 Americans who may be impacted by the floods, and it was continuing to closely track the situation. The department said Thursday that three U.S. citizens had been safely rescued, and the spokesperson said the agency was not yet aware of any U.S. deaths.
The State Department says any Americans who need assistance should call +1-202-501-4444, and family and friends who are concerned about loved ones can call the department toll-free at +1-888-407-4747.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed U.S. solidarity Wednesday with the Nepali people, saying in a social media post that the department "stands ready to support the government of Nepal with needed humanitarian assistance."
In a series of social media posts, the U.S. Embassy in Nepal expressed "heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in the devastating floods" and said it was "working to account for U.S. citizens who may have been affected."
The embassy urged U.S. nationals in the region who were able to contact their families, hotels, guides or trekking or tour companies as soon as possible however they could, but it noted that communications were still severely disrupted.
The U.S. State Department said it was closely monitoring the situation and sending an adviser to the region to help with response efforts, as well as a $500,000 grant to Catholic Relief Services.
