No Moroccans appear on the initial list of 644 tourists and travelers reported missing after devastating flash floods struck Nepal on Wednesday, according to an update issued by the Nepal Tourism Board on Thursday.
The preliminary nationality-wise tally, released at noon on August 27, includes 517 foreign visitors and 127 Nepali nationals whose whereabouts had yet to be established. Morocco does not appear among the 33 foreign nationalities listed.
Indian nationals account for by far the largest group of missing foreign travelers, at 178. They are followed by 65 Americans, 53 Ukrainians, 51 Malaysians, 35 Australians and 33 British nationals.
Canada has 25 nationals listed as missing, while smaller numbers were reported from Singapore, Germany, Russia, Latvia, South Africa, Japan, France, Spain and several other countries.
The Nepal Tourism Board said the figures were based on preliminary records received from trekking and travel companies. Authorities are still verifying and cross-checking the information with travel agencies, guides, local authorities and security services.
The absence of Moroccans from the tally therefore means none had been identified among the 644 missing travelers as of Thursday noon. The preliminary figures do not establish whether Moroccan nationals were present elsewhere in the affected areas.
At least 270 killed as rescue operations continue
The floods struck the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and Gorkha at around 8.30 a.m. on Wednesday, according to the tourism board.
Read also : Flash floods leave more than 150 dead and hundreds missing along Nepal-Tibet border
Riverside areas across the four districts were severely damaged, while other areas remained unaffected.
Nepal’s Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, the Nepal Tourism Board, Tourist Police and tourism operators are working to establish the whereabouts of travelers who were in or passing through the affected areas, while rescue and evacuation operations continue for those injured or stranded.
Nepali police said Thursday that at least 270 people had been killed in the disaster.
Videos from the affected areas showed torrents of muddy water sweeping away bridges and buildings as residents and travelers fled through valleys and towns.
Scientists believe a large section of a glacier may have broken away from a mountain and triggered a landslide, although the exact sequence of events remains under investigation.
Nepal has deployed rescue teams and requested assistance from India and China as authorities continue searching for survivors.
