KATHMANDU: Families from several countries have arrived in Nepal to search for relatives who went missing after the Bhotekoshi River floods.

The Department of Immigration said inquiries about the entry and exit records of people who may have been in the Nepal-China border area have increased since the floods hit the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers last Wednesday.

Immigration Department spokesperson Shiv Prasad Lamsal said relatives of missing Nepali and foreign nationals have begun approaching immigration offices directly, in addition to seeking help through embassies and consular missions.

Families from India, China, the United States, Ukraine, Malta, the United Kingdom, Malaysia and Australia, among other countries, have come to Nepal to search for their relatives. They have visited hospitals, police offices, rescue and identification centres, the Department of Immigration and areas near the disaster site.

Some families have sought immigration records to determine whether their relatives entered or left Nepal, while others have obtained travel details through trekking agencies and visited hospitals and identification centres with photographs and personal information.

89 people crossed into China before floods

According to Lamsal, 89 people had crossed into China through the immigration office at Timure before the floods struck on Wednesday morning. They included 32 Nepali, 12 Chinese, nine American and 33 Indian nationals, along with one tourist each from Canada, Italy and Australia.

Three Nepali nationals had also entered Nepal from China.

The department said immigration checks for passengers entering and leaving Nepal had been completed by 8:35 a.m. Wednesday, before the floods hit.

Identifying bodies remains challenging

Police say identifying bodies recovered after the floods has become increasingly difficult.

Senior Superintendent of Police Nanti Raj Gurung, who is involved in the search and rescue of foreign nationals, said some recovered bodies appeared to be those of foreign nationals. However, prolonged exposure to water and mud has made identification difficult.

Meanwhile, five more foreign tourists were rescued on Sunday. According to the Nepal Tourism Board, those rescued included three Spanish nationals, one American and one Belgian.

By Sunday, 289 foreign tourists had been rescued, while 591 remained unaccounted for, according to the board.