5 Japanese Nationals Missing after Flood in Nepal

New Delhi, Aug. 27 (Jiji Press)--Nepalese tourism authorities said that 403 tourists, including five Japanese nationals, have been unaccounted for after flooding caused by a landslide in the Rasuwa district of Nepal on Wednesday.

According to Nepalese police, the death toll from the flood has reached at least 157. Many people, including local residents, are missing, and search and rescue operations are continuing.

The Japanese Embassy in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, said that the embassy and the Japanese Foreign Ministry in Tokyo "are working together to confirm the safety of Japanese nationals" in Nepal in the wake of the disaster.

Heavy damage has been reported in Shigatse in Tibet, which borders the Himalayan country. China Central Television said that three people died and 265 remain unaccounted for. It is unclear whether there is some overlap between the casualty figures announced by Nepalese authorities and the Chinese broadcaster.

Of the 403 missing tourists, 62 are Nepalese. Indians accounted for 133, the largest by nationality, followed by 47 Americans, 34 Australians and 33 Britons. Many of the missing people joined a pilgrimage tour to religious sites in Tibet.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]