A State Department spokesman said Sunday that about 85 Americans remain unaccounted for after flash flooding on the border of Nepal and Tibet. Tommy Pigott told host Martha Raddatz on ABC’s This Week that nine Americans have now been safely evacuated.
“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 said. He added that the department is “currently unaware of any U.S. citizen deaths at this time.”
According to The Hill, local authorities said Sunday that more than 800 people have died in Nepal and Tibet, with 3,000 people missing across both countries. The flash flood moved through the two nations early Wednesday after the Bhotekoshi River flooded at roughly 9 a.m. local time that day.
USGS said a glacial collapse near the China-Nepal border produced seismic energy equal to a 5.2-magnitude earthquake
The exact cause of the flooding remains unclear, but the U.S. Geological Survey pointed to a glacial collapse that occurred near the China-Nepal border at 8:37 a.m. local time Wednesday. The survey said the event was seismically equivalent to a 5.2-magnitude earthquake.
“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 that the U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu was working with local authorities to assist Americans impacted by the flooding. The department said it will provide $500,000 in assistance and deploy a disaster response adviser to the region.
The assistance, provided through the department’s global award with Catholic Relief Services, is intended to support emergency shelter, relief items, and water, sanitation, and hygiene help for flood-affected communities.
Pigott said Sunday that the department has surged assistance to its embassies in Kathmandu and Beijing and is coordinating with the Nepali government to assist in rescue efforts. Families have also searched for missing loved ones in other recent cases, including when a family launched a 10-day search after a traveler missed a flight.
“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 officials know how to contact them. Unexpected updates sometimes arrive in missing-person cases, such as when a hiker may have provided some closure.
Published: Aug 31, 2026 12:29 pm