CHENNAI, India - Around 160 people have been killed and hundreds are missing following a flash flood in central Nepal, local police and tourism authorities said Wednesday. Among the missing are five Japanese nationals, according to local media.
Of the 384 missing, around 290 are foreign tourists from countries including India, Malaysia, Britain and the United States, according to Nepalese authorities.
The Bhotekoshi River in Nepal's mountainous Rasuwa region overflowed, damaging houses and infrastructure, including a hydroelectric power station. The cause of the flooding is not yet known, local media reported.
An official at Japan's Embassy in Kathmandu said it has been unable to contact five Japanese nationals believed to be tour participants and that it has asked local authorities to search for them.
China's Xinhua News Agency said three people were killed and 265 others unaccounted for following a mudslide in Shigatse, a major city in the country's autonomous region of Tibet. The river flows from the region into Nepal.
The disaster occurred near Nepal's border with China.
