[Anchor]

Foreign nationals account for a particularly large share of the people reported missing in the recent massive floods. The disaster-hit region is located near Hindu holy sites, drawing numerous pilgrims, while also being a popular destination teeming with Himalayan trekkers at this time of the year.

Reporter Bae Seong-jae has more.

[Reporter]

Among the roughly 820 people registered as missing by Nepali police so far, about 600 are foreign nationals hailing from 28 countries, including India, the United States, and Australia.

On the Chinese side as well, foreign nationals account for nearly half of the total missing, estimated at around 260.

Indians have suffered the heaviest casualties among them, 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.

They had been traveling together in groups aboard tour buses organized by various travel agencies.

[Suminia 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.]

In addition, a large number of foreign tourists who set out on Himalayan treks have gone missing.

Syabrubesi, the starting point of the Langtang trek—well-known to South Koreans as one of the three major Himalayan treks—was completely wiped out by the massive floods, and it is presumed that many foreign tourists fell victim to the disaster.

With roads severed and communications cut off by the floods, concerns are mounting that tourists may still be stranded along the Langtang trekking route.

[Arjun / Secretary General, Nepal-Korea Trekking and Tourism Association: There is an area famous as a Hindu holy site along the Langtang trekking route. There are some people, including locals, stranded in that area.]

The gorge areas of the Himalayas, 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]