5 Japanese Nationals Unaccounted For after Flood in Nepal

New Delhi, Aug. 27 (Jiji Press)–More than 800 people, including five Japanese tourists, are unaccounted for following large-scale flooding in the Rasuwa district of Nepal on Wednesday, according to authorities of the Himalayan country. The number of people who cannot be reached totals 826, including 579 tourists, Nepalese police said Thursday. Of the tourists, 466 are foreigners. The death toll from the flooding has reached at least 162, according to the police. A community located along the Bhote Koshi River, which flows from China to Nepal, was shattered by the disaster, with infrastructure such as bridges, as well as multiple hydraulic power plants sustaining damage. The Japanese Embassy in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, said that it is working to confirm the safety of Japanese nationals in the wake of the disaster while asking Nepalese authorities to search for the five Japanese who have been unaccounted for. Heavy damage has been confirmed as well in Shigatse in Tibet, which borders the Himalayan country. China Central Television reported Thursday morning that three people died and 558 others, including 260 foreigners, remain unaccounted for. It is unclear whether there is overlap between the casualty figures from the Nepalese authorities and the Chinese broadcaster. There has been no report of any Japanese people in China being involved in the disaster, according to the Japanese Embassy in Beijing. Many of the people whose whereabouts have not been confirmed are believed to have joined a pilgrimage tour to religious sites in Tibet. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Thursday called on anyone with information about the whereabouts of the five Japanese nationals who cannot be reached to contact the Japanese Embassy in Kathmandu. “I’m praying so that the precious lives of Japanese nationals, citizens of Nepal and foreign visitors to the country will be protected,” she said in a social media post. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at a press conference in Tokyo on Thursday that the Japanese nationals who have been unaccounted for participated in the pilgrimage tour from the Nepalese side, adding that no Japanese casualties have been confirmed in China. The Japanese government set up a local response headquarters and a separate response office at the Foreign Ministry. The government is also preparing to dispatch personnel from its Emergency Response Team. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]