France confirms four nationals missing after Nepal floods

The confirmation came as officials across more than two dozen countries tried to locate citizens who were trekking or on pilgrimage when a glacial collapse sent a wall of mud and rock down the Bhotekoshi River valley on Wednesday. Nepal police said 389 bodies had been recovered and 466 people had been injured or rescued, according to The Guardian. Nepal's disaster authority put the number of out-of-contact foreign nationals at 517, though the overall missing toll, including Nepali citizens, has been reported as high as 1,400.

The Daily Star reported that Nepal's disaster agency said 823 people were unaccounted for on Thursday, including at least 579 tourists. Chinese state media said 558 people were missing in Tibet's Gyirong county, including 260 foreigners. Three deaths had been confirmed there as of Thursday morning.

The disaster began when an ice-rock avalanche from a glacier on the Nepal side blocked the Lhende Khola river, a tributary of the Bhotekoshi, and then released a sudden surge downstream, according to Saswata Sanyal, a disaster risk specialist at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development. The US Geological Survey initially recorded the event as a magnitude-4.4 earthquake but later said the seismic energy came from the collapse of glacial rock and ice, not a tectonic event. Rescue efforts were complicated by damaged bridges and more than 25 miles of destroyed roads, while about 1,200 people were displaced from nearby villages, the Washington Examiner reported.

More than 5,000 army and police personnel have been mobilized in Nepal. Authorities also warned of a secondary threat: a lake formed by debris blocking the river was rising and at risk of bursting, which could send floodwaters downstream again. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies released $1.4 million and dispatched water, blankets, sleeping mats, first aid kits, stretchers and body bags.

The UK government pledged an initial £5 million in support and said it was deploying consular staff to the region. King Charles and Queen Camilla said they were "heartbroken" and sent their "most profound sympathy" to those affected.