Nine Americans have been safely evacuated from flood-ravaged Nepal, while roughly 85 U.S. citizens are still unaccounted for, the State Department said as search and rescue operations continue.
The disaster struck the Nepal-Tibet border region on Wednesday, when catastrophic flooding swept through the area, killing at least 750 people and leaving more than 3,000 others missing.
“This morning, I can say we now have approximately 85 Americans who are unaccounted for,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott told ABC News’ “This Week.”
“We’ve also now seen nine Americans safely evacuated. We are currently unaware of any U.S. citizen deaths at this time,” Pigott said.
The situation remains urgent, with rescue crews battling difficult conditions as Nepalese officials issued fresh flood warnings Sunday after water levels climbed in the Bhotekoshi River, according to the Associated Press.
According to Xinhua, a Chinese news agency cited by the outlet, China’s Ministry of Water Resources said a newly formed lake has been slowly draining but still poses a risk because it contains an estimated 1.4 million cubic meters of water.
As officials closely monitor water levels, the State Department has increased assistance to US embassies in Kathmandu and Beijing, Pigott said.
‘We have activated $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 spokesman said.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott told ABC News’ This Week that nine Americans have been evacuated from Nepal, but 85 remain missing
At least 750 people have died due to the flooding, with thousands unaccounted for. Officials expect the death toll to rise as entire communities have been destroyed
The department has also been working with officials in Nepal to assist with search efforts.
‘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 said.
‘Our embassies in Beijing and Kathmandu are working 24/7 to communicate and coordinate with local officials, trying to get reliable information,’ he added.
The historic flooding has destroyed multiple towns and already claimed hundreds of lives, with the death toll expected to rise as search efforts continue.
The devastating sequence of events began just after 8.30am local time on the day of the floods, when the earth started shaking along the Nepal-China border.
The US Geological Survey initially detected the shaking as a magnitude 5.2 earthquake but later determined that a massive section of glacier had collapsed.
The United States Geological Survey described the seismic event as an extremely powerful ‘glacial collapse and debris flow’ that caused catastrophic impacts downstream.
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As the ice mass plummeted, it was pulverized into a fast-flowing mix of freezing water, debris and rocks that swept down the mountainside into the Lende Khola River.
Rebuilding efforts are estimated to cost billions of dollars. The DevGhat village, pictured above, has been covered in debris and mud following the floods
Bishal Nath Upreti, a geologist and academic at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu, called the disaster a ‘tsunami from the sky’ that has ‘completely wiped out’ communities.
Terrifying footage of the flash flooding showed enormous plumes of dirt and fast-flowing water hurtling through villages as onlookers ran for their lives.
‘If any American is in the region, please register for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program. That is so essential, so we know how to contact you,’ Pigott added.
Anjana Raja and her husband, Pattabiraman Venkatesan, are among the few known American survivors who were in the area during the floods.
Raja recalled the harrowing moments when she and Venkatesan came face-to-face with the landslide near the Chinese border, revealing that they decided to flee their bus and escape on foot.
‘I grabbed him by the collar, and I said, “Run, we need to go right now,”‘ she told ABC News.
‘I didn’t even give him time to act. I just said, “Leave the bus right away or we’re going to die.”‘
Anjana Raja and her husband, Pattabiraman Venkatesan, are pictured towards the right wearing hats, after they were rescued by the Nepali Army
They rushed up the mountain with their tour group and reached higher ground. The couple said everyone on the bus miraculously survived.
New Yorkers Ramesh Sharma, 65, and his wife Neelam, 64, are also missing after traveling to the region for a Mount Kailash pilgrimage.
Their daughter, Dr. Radhika Sharma, said the journey was her parents’ first vacation alone since retiring last year.
‘My parents have been wanting to do this for a while,’ she previously told the Daily Mail.
Americans traveling with the Isha Foundation, including San Francisco tech worker Prabhath Sajeepa, are also missing after they were last seen near the Gyirong immigration port area.
Terrifying video footage showed the immigration building along the border being engulfed by the massive landslide.