At least 133 Indian nationals are among hundreds of people reported missing after a sudden flashflood tore through Nepal’s Rasuwa district along the Tibet border on Wednesday, killing at least 72 persons across seven districts and triggering a massive cross-border rescue operation.The figures remained fluid as communications were disrupted across the remote Himalayan region and rescue teams struggled to reach some of the worst-hit areas. Nepal’s Tourism Board said of nearly 500 missing persons, 403 were tourists, including 341 foreign nationals and 62 Nepalese. Indians constituted the largest group among the missing foreign travellers, with the latest preliminary count putting the number at 133. At least 37 NRIs are also among those missing.The death toll also rose sharply. Nepal’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority reported 72 deaths across seven districts, with bodies recovered in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Chitwan, Gorkha, Tanahu and Nawalparasi East.According to Nepali media reports, the tragedy unfolded after a sudden surge in the Bhote Koshi river, which enters Nepal from Tibet, swept through Timure, Syabrubesi and other settlements in Rasuwa. The torrent destroyed homes, markets, bridges, roads and hydropower infrastructure before rushing downstream into the Trishuli river system.The crisis has particularly affected pilgrims travelling towards Tibet for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. The Kathmandu Post reported that nearly 400 pilgrims, mostly Indians, were preparing to cross into Tibet when the flood struck the Rasuwagadhi area.Adding to fears for Indians stranded on the other side of the border, spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev said a Kailash pilgrimage group associated with the Isha Foundation was caught in a flashflood at Gyirong in Tibet. He said 77 persons were at an immigration centre when the flood occurred and that there was no official information yet about their whereabouts.Of the 21 groups associated with the pilgrimage, Sadhguru said 495 people had returned safely, while 743 remained in Tibet, 148 were in Nepal, 77 were at the immigration centre and three volunteers were in Timure.The Indian Embassy in Beijing issued an advisory for Indian nationals stranded in the affected areas of Tibet, urging them to seek assistance from Chinese authorities or contact the Indian missions in Beijing and Kathmandu. The embassy said it was in close touch with local authorities to assist affected Indians.The rapidly escalating disaster prompted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak to his Nepali counterpart Balendra Shah and assure him of India’s full support, while New Delhi rushed 10 tonnes of humanitarian and disaster-relief material, including medicines, temporary shelters, blankets, hygiene kits and solar lamps, to Nepal.Modi said he had spoken to Shah and conveyed his condolences over the loss of life, assuring him that “the people of India stand in solidarity” with Nepal. He said India was ready to provide “all possible humanitarian assistance” and that Indian teams were coordinating with Nepal on rescue and relief efforts.External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India had dispatched 10 tonnes of humanitarian assistance and essential medicines. An MEA official said an Indian Air Force C-130J aircraft was carrying the material, including emergency shelters, blankets, hygiene kits, solar lamps and medicines.Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay also expressed concern after reports that Indians, including Tamils, were missing. He directed Tamil Nadu House officials in New Delhi to coordinate with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Nepal to trace missing persons and assist those stranded.The disaster has also triggered concern downstream in India. Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary ordered heightened monitoring and constituted a high-level team after authorities warned of possible rises in river levels downstream from Nepal. Six districts along the Gandak have been placed on alert, with disaster-response teams deployed and embankments being closely monitored.The cross-border catastrophe has simultaneously struck China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, where a mudslide hit the Gyirong border area. Chinese authorities launched rescue operations, with President Xi Jinping ordering all-out efforts to locate missing people and minimise casualties.The cause of the Nepal flood was still being assessed. As per reports, an earthquake-induced ice-and-rock avalanche on the Lhende Khola river in the Tibet region triggered the catastrophic surge, although Nepali authorities were still examining the precise circumstances.