Nepal floods: 95 dead, 466 foreign nationals missing; two Italians safe

Devastating floods and landslides in Nepal have claimed at least 95 lives, with a significant number of foreign nationals among the missing. Authorities report that 466 foreign tourists are unaccounted for, part of a larger total of 579 missing individuals.

The missing tourists hail from 28 different countries. Among those reported missing are 54 from the United States and 33 from the United Kingdom. The Italian Foreign Ministry is actively monitoring the situation, with Minister Antonio Tajani confirming that two Italian citizens caught in a landslide are in good condition.

One Italian tourist, Giovanni Fassini from Brescia, described being stranded for ten hours due to the flooding. He recounted how the bus he was traveling on from Pokhara to Kathmandu was halted as the river overflowed, inundating the road with mud and debris. A bridge they were meant to cross was also swept away, leaving them isolated.

"We couldn't go forward or back, because in the meantime the river had overflowed and had filled the entire road with mud," Fassini said. After the road was cleared, his group decided to return to Pokhara, planning to fly to Kathmandu and then Italy the following day.

Nepalese police have confirmed the rising numbers of missing persons, with the situation described as dire. Rescue efforts are ongoing, but the scale of the disaster presents significant challenges.

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We couldn't go forward or back, because in the meantime the river had overflowed and had filled the entire road with mud.