As the possibility of more mudslides threaten towns along the Nepal-China border, the search continues for more than 2,400 people missing, including dozens of U.S. citizens, after last week's catastrophic floods.
Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai said Sunday that 734 bodies have been recovered four days after nearly 30-foot high waves of water swept through mountain valleys.
The Red Cross estimated that more than 90,000 people were affected by the flooding. Nepal says it has deployed thousands of rescue workers, with people still being found alive this weekend.
As of Sunday morning, 85 Americans are still unaccounted for, according to U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tommy Pigott.
"We've also now seen nine Americans be safely evacuated. We are currently unaware of any U.S. citizen deaths at this time," Pigott said during an interview with ABC News "This Week."
Among the Americans missing are tourists, hikers and those on a pilgrimage to the holy site of Mount Kailash, which is located in a remote part of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It's considered a once-in-a-lifetime journey for several faiths.
Divya Chandrashekar told NPR that her brother-in-law Ragu Rajan, and his wife, Archana Suresh, had planned the trip to Mount Kailash for the past year.
The couple from Murphy, Tx. started their journey from Kathmandu on Aug. 25 and were crossing the Nepal-China border when the floods hit. Their last known location was near the Gyirong Port border post on the morning of the floods.
The Bhote Koshi, the Nepali name for "Tibetan river," completely wiped out the border checkpoint and the Friendship Bridge that connects Nepal and China. Security footage posted by China's state broadcaster, CCTV, showed a wall of mud and water hitting the buildings.
Chandrashekar described Rajan and Suresh as "spiritual, loved the outdoors, enjoyed their treks, very good parents." She said the couple were planning to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary in November.
Shreya Ahuja, who lives in North Carolina, told NPR that she spoke with her parents, Deepak and Madhu Ahuja, hours before the flood. Both are U.S. citizens and small business owners in Dallas, their daughter said. They had finished the pilgrimage for her father's 60th birthday and told her they were heading back to the border post.
"I tried texting them; I tried calling them," Ahuja told Morning Edition. "And initially, I wasn't too concerned. I feel like everyone thinks, what are the chances that they were in that exact spot?"
Pigott said the U.S. State Department has increased assistance to U.S. embassies in Beijing and Kathmandu as well as activated $3.6 million in emergency assistance. This includes emergency food relief to feed 10,000 households for up to three months.
Catholic Relief Services is distributing the first half million dollars of the emergency relief assistance. The group's South Asia representative, Senthil Kumar Gurunathan, said delivering the aid will be challenging because of blocked roads from the flooding and mudslides. He told NPR there is an urgent need for food, water, clothes, menstrual hygiene products and mental health support.
"People who have survived have literally lost everything they had because they just had to flee their homes to save their lives," Gurunathan said on All Things Considered. "We are actually trying to find alternative roads, safer roads, which can actually help us to get the lifesaving stuff to people."
The first deliveries of U.S. assistance arrived Saturday and Sunday in the districts of Rasuwa and Nuwakot, according to the U.S. Embassy in Nepal. The aid included 500 blankets, 500 mosquito nets, 500 insulating foam sheets for shelter floors and 2.5 tons of food supplies, the embassy said.
More flooding could be on the way
Authorities in Nepal have warned that monsoon rains could lead to additional flooding in the region.
Heavy rain in the hills and mountain areas of central Nepal could fall through Tuesday, Sept. 1, according to the U.S. Embassy in Nepal citing the country's forecasting division.
"This rainfall may cause flash flooding, debris flows, landslides, riverbank erosion, and further interruptions to roads, flights, and rescue operations," the embassy said in a social media post on Sunday.
NPR's Steve Inskeep and Majd Al-Waheidi contributed to this report.
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