30 Canadians missing after catastrophic Nepal-Tibet floods, Anand says

The number of Canadians missing in Nepal and the Tibet region after a series of catastrophic flash floods has climbed to 30 from 25 Wednesday, according to the latest update from the federal government.

The floods occurred in a border area of Nepal and Tibet, an autonomous region of China, killing at least 390 and left more than 1,400 people missing as of Thursday evening. Many were foreigners in the area for trekking, guided tours or a pilgrimage to a sacred Hindu site.

“My team at GAC is deploying five additional consular officials to Kathmandu to support Canadians and coordinate with local officials and partners and we will provide further resources as needed. In addition to working closely with Nepali and Chinese counterparts, we are also coordinating with international partners and allies who also have citizens in the region.”

That comes after Nepal’s embassy in Ottawa said Thursday the number of Canadians missing was 25.

The number of missing from Wednesday’s disaster may vary across agencies ad governments because of differences in how they collected data, when it was reported and how it was verified, as well as gaps in coordination between those assembling data and those conducting rescue efforts in the affected area.

Global Affairs Canada said late Thursday that 858 Canadians in Nepal and 18 in Tibet were signed up with the department’s Canadians abroad registry system. It noted the number may not accurately reflect the true number of Canadians in the region as registration is voluntary. Both numbers were up slightly from Wednesday.

Here is what we know so far about the citizens of different countries who are among the impacted.

The torrential floods have left at least 389 people dead and more than 460 injured in Nepal, according to police. Another 910 people are reported to be missing.

Local reports cited the National Emergency Operation Center as saying Thursday the missing included 113 Nepali tourists, 85 security personnel from the army and police as well as 161 residents from the Rasuwa district and one from the Nuwakot district.

The National Tourism Board later Thursday said 517 foreigners were missing.

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State media reported at least three people died and 558 were missing in Gyirong County, Tibet. Tibet is an autonomous region of China.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that 260 of the 558 missing people were foreigners. In addition, nearly 100 Chinese citizens were missing on the Nepal side, China’s foreign ministry said.

India’s External Affairs Ministry said 288 Indian nationals remain uncontactable. They included 73 people who were working on a power project. Nepal officials have said many Indian tourists were on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus.

The board said 65 of the missing were from the United States.

The board said 51 Malaysians were missing.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said that 55 Ukrainians are missing. The number includes two tourist groups of 47 and seven people, in addition to one Ukrainian woman travelling with a foreign tour group, the ministry said.

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The board said 35 Australians were missing.

The board said 33 of the missing were from the U.K.

South Korean government officials said nine citizens working on building a hydropower plant in Nepal were missing.

Eight Singaporeans were missing, according to Nepal tourism board.

Nepal’s tourism board said eight tourists from Germany were missing.

The Russian Embassy in Nepal said eight of its citizens were missing.

The board said six South Africans were missing.

The board said six tourists from Latvia were missing.

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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expressed worry about five Japanese nationals whom local media reported were missing.

Five people from New Zealand were missing, said Nepal’s tourism board.

The board said four French citizens were missing.

The board said three from Belgium were missing.

The board said three visitors from Spain were missing.

The board said two people each from Italy, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Ireland and Netherlands were missing. It said 10 others — one each from Belarus, Finland, Hungary, Israel, Lithuania, Philippines, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Serbia and Sweden — were also missing.

– with files from Global’s Sean Boynton and The Associated Press