Girl, 13, among missing British citizens after flash flood in Nepal

**Over 400 Missing After Flash Flood on Nepal-Tibet Border, Including 33 Britons**

More than 400 travelers, including 33 British nationals, remain missing following a devastating flash flood along the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday. Among the missing is a 13-year-old British girl, according to Nepal’s tourism board.

The flood occurred on the Tibetan side of the Bhote Koshi River at approximately 8:30 a.m. local time. The Nepal Tourism Board reported that 341 foreign nationals are unaccounted for, with the nationalities of over 100 individuals still unconfirmed. The British group includes three men aged 65, 64, and 52, as well as seven women aged between 44 and 65.

Alpine Eco Trek, a Nepal-based tour operator, confirmed that four of its Nepali guides—aged 29, 35, 38, and 45—are also missing. The company stated that the group, which was on a nine-day tour to Mount Kailash, was crossing into Tibet from Nepal when the flood struck. Contact with the guides was lost around 8:40 a.m. after their phones went offline while they were inside Tibet’s immigration office.

Nepalese police have recovered 157 bodies, while over 40 injured individuals are receiving treatment in hospitals. The disaster appears to have been triggered by a collapse of mud and rock into the river, causing catastrophic flooding on the Nepali side. Videos verified by Reuters showed dozens of people being swept away at the border.

Initial reports suggested an earthquake may have caused an avalanche, leading to the floods, according to Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal. In Tibet, officials have warned of potential major casualties, with some individuals missing in Gyirong County after a mudslide struck a border crossing.

Eight South Korean workers from a hydropower project are also missing, while 10 others remain stranded, South Korea’s foreign ministry reported.

Authorities in Nepal’s Rasuwa district have urged tourists and residents near the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers to exercise extreme caution, remain in safe areas, and move to higher ground if necessary. Travelers have been advised to stay in contact with hotels and tour agencies, while those planning visits to affected areas have been warned to postpone their trips.

UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband expressed concern over the disaster, stating that his thoughts were with those affected and British nationals in the region. The British Embassy in Kathmandu, along with several other foreign missions, issued a joint statement expressing solidarity with Nepal and urging people to follow local authorities’ guidance.

The full extent of the damage remains unclear as rescue and recovery efforts continue.