"Dozens of Tour Buses Swept Away"... Why Many Foreigners Are Among the Missing

[Anchor]

Among those missing in the recent massive floods, a particularly high number are foreigners. The areas hit by the floods are close to Hindu sacred sites, attracting many pilgrims, and it was also a peak season when Himalayan hikers converged simultaneously.

Reporter Bae Seong-jae has more.

[Reporter]

Among the approximately 820 people missing compiled by Nepali police so far, around 600 are reported to be foreigners from 28 countries, including India, the United States, and Australia.

On the Chinese side as well, about 260 people, nearly half of the total missing persons, have been identified as foreigners.

The heaviest casualties among them are Indian nationals, with at least 133 missing after embarking on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, a sacred Hindu and Buddhist site located in the affected region.

Among them, 77 are reported to have fallen victim while waiting at a Chinese border checkpoint to visit Mount Kailash.

Pilgrims recruited by multiple travel agencies were traveling together in groups by bus.

[Sumiaria Udas / Member of Nepal's House of Representatives: Dozens of tour buses carrying pilgrims heading toward Mount Kailash, one of the most sacred sites in Hinduism, were swept away by torrential currents.]

Foreign tourists who set out on Himalayan trekking were also reported missing in large numbers.

Syabrubesi, the starting point of the Langtang Trek—well-known to South Koreans as one of the three major Himalayan treks—was swallowed by the massive floods, erasing the village entirely. It is estimated that many foreign tourists suffered casualties during this time.

With roads cut off and communications severed by the floods, concerns are rising that tourists may still be trapped within the Langtang trekking route.

[Arjun / Secretary General of the Nepal-Korea Trekking and Tourism Association: There is an area famous as a Hindu sacred site along the Langtang trekking route. There are some locals and others isolated in that region.]

The Himalayan gorge areas, which served as gateways for people gathering from all over the world for trekking and pilgrimages, instantly turned into paths of disaster dividing life and death.

(Video Editing: Park Choon-bae)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.