State Department official says about 85 Americans still missing after Nepal flash flooding

There are approximately 85 Americans still missing after flash flooding on the border of Nepal and Tibet, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said Sunday.

“This morning, I can say we now have 85 Americans, approximately, that are unaccounted for. We’ve also now seen nine Americans be safely evacuated,” Pigott told host Martha Raddatz on ABC’s “This Week.”

Pigott added the department is “currently unaware of any U.S. citizen deaths at this time.”

More than 800 people have died in Nepal and Tibet, with 3,000 people missing across both countries, local authorities said Sunday. The flash flood ripped through the two nations early Wednesday, as a result of the Bhotekoshi River flooding at roughly 9 a.m. local time that day.

While the exact cause of the catastrophe is unclear, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) pointed to a glacial collapse that occurred near the China-Nepal border at 8:37 a.m. local time Wednesday.

The event was seismically equivalent to a 5.2-magnitude earthquake, the USGS noted .

“This event was initially reported as a magnitude 4.4 earthquake,” the survey stated. “Additional analysis of long period seismic waves indicate that the seismic energy was instead generated by a glacial collapse and debris flow.”

Pigott’s office said Wednesday the U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu was working with local authorities to assist Americans impacted by the flooding.

The department added it will provide $500,000 in assistance and deploy a disaster response adviser to the region.

The hundreds of thousands in assistance, which the department will provide through its global award with Catholic Relief Services, will support emergency shelter, relief items and water, sanitation and hygiene assistance to flood-affected communities.

Pigott also said Sunday the department has surged assistance to its embassies in Kathmandu and Beijing, and is coordinating with the Nepali government to assist in rescue efforts.

“We have activated from the State Department $3.6 million in emergency humanitarian assistance that includes up to three months of emergency food for up to 10,000 flood-affected households,” Pigott said on “This Week.”

He also encouraged Americans in the region to register for the department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program so “we know how to contact you.”