Search and rescue operations continued after catastrophic flash floods struck a border area of Nepal and China, with people from more than 30 countries reported missing. The latest reports described a fast-changing disaster in which death and missing-person figures varied as authorities gathered information from remote areas.

The Associated Press reported on Aug. 27 that Nepal’s disaster management authority had raised the death toll to 359 and said 910 people remained missing, including 517 foreign nationals. The authority also said 50 foreigners had been rescued by air. AP noted that the missing included tourists, workers, security personnel and people travelling toward a sacred Hindu site.

The report said the disaster affected the Nepal-China border area around the same time that floodwaters and debris swept through communities and damaged transport routes. AP also reported that governments were trying to establish the whereabouts of their citizens. A separate AP update said about 90 U.S. citizens remained unaccounted for on Thursday, showing how the international search effort was developing alongside Nepal’s domestic response.

Nepal’s reported totals changed sharply as fresh information arrived. The Kathmandu Post’s Aug. 27 update described a mid-morning flash flood on the Bhotekoshi River that affected three districts and said at least 95 people had been killed in the earlier count, with nearly 400 missing. That report said an avalanche on the Chinese side of the border had sent a wall of water through trekking routes and towns. The later AP account carried a substantially higher authority figure.

Scientists were still examining the cause. AP reported preliminary investigations indicating that a large part of a glacier may have broken off and temporarily dammed a river before backed-up water surged downstream. The report also cited the U.S. Geological Survey’s account of a magnitude 5.2 glacier collapse, based on seismic and satellite information. AP said researchers were still piecing together satellite and ground data, so the preliminary explanation was not presented as a final determination.

The human impact extended beyond the immediate flood zone. AP said many of the missing foreigners had been in the region for trekking, guided tours or pilgrimage. The disaster also damaged roads, bridges and other infrastructure, making access and identification more difficult for response teams.

For families waiting for news, the figures remain subject to revision as authorities reconcile reports from local officials and rescue teams. The confirmed development is an expanding multinational search operation after a deadly flash flood, while the exact toll and cause continue to be updated by Nepalese authorities and scientific investigators.