The U.S. Embassy in Nepal advised travelers to confirm the status of roads, trails, border crossings, and flights immediately before traveling. Communications remained disrupted, making it difficult to reach people in some communities.
The embassy advised those who are safe to contact their families, hotels, guides, and tour or trekking companies, using text messages, email, or messaging apps if phone calls do not go through.
U.S. citizens in or recently traveling through Rasuwa or other affected areas were asked to email [email protected] with their full name, current location, safety status, and tour or trekking company.
Anyone reporting an American who cannot be reached should provide the person's full name, last known location, itinerary or tour company, and the date and time of last contact, officials said.
Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu remained open and continued handling domestic and international flights. The State Department advised passengers to confirm their flights directly with their airlines before traveling to the airport.
Americans in the region were also told to contact their families and travel companies to confirm their safety. Continued rainfall and unstable slopes could produce additional landslides and flooding, the alert said.
The alerts followed a catastrophic flash flood Wednesday near the Nepal-China border. The U.S. Geological Survey initially reported a magnitude 4.4 earthquake but later determined that the seismic event was a magnitude 5.2 glacier collapse that sent debris downstream. Experts said the collapse likely triggered the flooding.
The torrent sent water, mud, rocks and other debris through mountain communities, destroying buildings, roads and bridges. More than 390 deaths had been reported across Nepal and Tibet by Thursday, with more than 1,400 people missing. The totals continued to change as rescuers reached isolated areas and authorities worked to confirm who remained unaccounted for.
The State Department said three Americans had been rescued and that it was not aware of any U.S. deaths. Many of the missing travelers had been making a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, a sacred site in Tibet for Hindus, Buddhists, and followers of other religions.
Search-and-rescue operations continued Thursday despite blocked roads, damaged bridges, and communications outages.