Nine Americans Rescued, 85 Still Missing Following Nepal Floods

Nine Americans have been safely evacuated from Nepal, but 85 are still missing after a flood that has claimed at least 750 lives, according to the US State Department on Sunday. Rescue teams are working continuously at the Nepali-Tibetan border to search for over 3,000 missing individuals in the aftermath of last week’s flood. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott stated, "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. We are currently unaware of any US citizen deaths at this time." The State Department is coordinating rescue efforts with US embassies in Nepal and China, facing logistical challenges due to the remote location of the disaster. Pigott noted, "Our embassies in Beijing and Kathmandu are working 24/7 in terms of communicating and coordinating with local officials, trying to get that reliable information." The disaster occurred near the Rasuwagadhi border post, where a landslide caused floods that engulfed entire villages. Among the missing Americans are individuals who traveled to Nepal for a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash. New Yorkers Amita Amin, 67, and Jitendra Manubhai Patel, 63, along with Tejal Vyomesh Patel, 64, from New Jersey, were participating in the pilgrimage when they went missing. The State Department has activated $3.6 million in emergency humanitarian assistance for the region, aimed at aiding 10,000 affected households and rebuilding destroyed infrastructure.