Nepal-Tibet flood deaths rise to 168 amid search for hundreds of missing tourists

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LONDON -- At least 168 people have been confirmed killed by the massive flash flooding that ravaged the Nepal-Tibet border region on Wednesday, emergency authorities in Nepal and China said. More than 1,300 people remained missing as of Thursday morning, authorities said.

As search and rescue efforts continued in Nepal on Thursday, authorities there said that at least 165 bodies had been recovered.

At least 826 people -- among them 579 tourists, of whom 476 are foreign nationals and 114 Nepali nationals -- were still out of contact, the Nepal National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said.

Across the border in the Chinese region of Tibet, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday that three people were confirmed killed with 558 others still missing, citing local officials.

The number of those considered missing fluctuated significantly as recovery efforts accelerated. The Nepal Tourism Board announced on Thursday that 65 Americans are among the missing.

The flooding, captured in dramatic video footage, occurred in the northern Rasuwa district, along the border with Tibet, at around 8:40 a.m. local time on Wednesday, authorities said, inundating areas along the Trishuli River, burying some buildings and damaging bridges and roadways.

In a statement, Nepal's office of the prime minister expressed "deep sorrow" over the loss of life. "Offering heartfelt tribute to all those who lost their lives in this natural disaster, it extends its sincere condolences to the bereaved families and relatives," the statement shared on social media said.

The prime minister's office later said search and rescue operations carried out by the Nepali Army would continue through the night.

The State Department said the number of Americans among the missing and otherwise impacted by the floods fluctuated throughout the day on Wednesday.

"The United States extends its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in the devastating flash floods in the Rasuwa district of Nepal. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this disaster," a department spokesperson said in a statement issued later Wednesday.

The spokesperson said the State Department is "closely monitoring the situation and is deploying a disaster response advisor to the region to support response efforts. The Department will also provide $500,000 in assistance through its global award with Catholic Relief Services, supporting emergency shelter, relief items, and water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance to flood-affected communities."

An Indian spiritual leader and entrepreneur, known as Sadhguru, said in a post to social media that 77 people who were on tours organized by his Isha Foundation were at an immigration center at the Nepal-Tibet border when the floodwaters hit.

The Isha Foundation confirmed to ABC News that 22 of those 77 people were Americans. The organization, which is headquartered in India, also has a base in McMinnville, Tennessee. The group's coordinator told ABC News the organization has been in touch with family members in the U.S.

Three missing Americans were listed as traveling with a Nepali company called Fishtail Tours and Travel. The agency confirmed to ABC News that three American nationals are among the missing tourists traveling with them.

The flood was reportedly triggered by a landslide about 12 miles northeast of the Rasuwagadhi border post along the Nepal-China frontier, according to Nepal Disaster Management.

A 5.2-magnitude landslide was registered in Nepal on Wednesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The seismic activity from the landslide was initially erroneously reported as a 4.4-magnitude earthquake, the agency said. It is unclear what triggered the landslide.

A geophysicist at New York's Columbia University told ABC News it appeared a landslide in the Himalayas took away a large glacier, or parts of one, in the mountain pass.

ABC News' Desiree Adib, Somayeh Malekian, Charlotte Gardiner, Shannon Kingston, Joseph Simonetti, Dada Jovanovic and Meghan Mistry contributed to this report.

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