By Sumayya
OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand stated that 30 Canadian citizens and permanent residents are unaccounted for after sudden flash floods rushed through a region along the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday.
Law enforcement officials in Nepal report that over 360 individuals have lost their lives and more than 1,400 people are still unaccounted for after a massive wall of water and mud as high as a multi-storey building crashed through local towns, destroying homes and bridges.
The official website of the Nepal tourism board currently includes 667 foreign citizens on its list of missing individuals, which features 25 Canadians. Out of the 31 foreign tourists who have been successfully saved according to the tourism board’s records, none are from Canada.
Experts at the United States Geological Survey first stated that a sudden earthquake triggered the massive flooding, but deeper scientific reviews later showed that the shaking was actually created by a massive glacial collapse.
Global Affairs Canada is now sending a team of five consular workers directly to Kathmandu to assist stranded Canadians and coordinate operations with local rescue teams.
Anand shared an update online on Thursday explaining that her department is working hand-in-hand with representatives from both Nepal and China, while also coordinating response plans with international allies whose citizens are trapped in the affected territory.
Prime Minister Mark Carney advised on Wednesday that every Canadian currently traveling in that region should immediately sign up for the Registration of Canadians Abroad program, which is a free service that allows the federal government to quickly message and assist citizens during a foreign emergency.
The official digital portal for Global Affairs Canada indicates that by Wednesday, a total of 820 Canadian citizens had formally registered their presence within Nepal, alongside an additional five individuals located inside the Tibet Autonomous Region.
Administrative representatives from the department noted that securing reliable, direct communication links with individuals inside the disaster zone remains highly difficult due to widespread electrical power blackouts affecting the entire region.
“Canadians are keeping everyone in distress in their thoughts right now, especially those who are mourning the loss of a family member, and all the individuals who are still anxiously waiting for news,” Carney shared via an online public post on Wednesday.
“As emergency rescue operations press forward, Canada remains fully prepared to offer practical assistance.”
The Chinese Embassy based in Canada subsequently expressed formal appreciation to the prime minister and Minister Anand for their public expressions of solidarity through a social media update published on Wednesday.
The Nepalese Canadian Community Services expressed that its members are “deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives and widespread devastation.”
“At this difficult and painful time, our thoughts, prayers and solidarity are with our homeland and with all those who have been affected by this tragedy,” the organization shared through a social media update.
Administrative authorities cautioned locals across multiple regional districts to remain far away from the edges of the Bhotekoshi, Trishuli, and Narayani rivers. The Bhotekoshi river overflowed on Wednesday morning, flattening numerous local villages, highways, and hydroelectric facilities, according to official reports.
“We have formally requested both India and China to assist us with the emergency search and rescue operations,” stated state representative Sasmit Pokharel.
