NEW DELHI: Indian officials are on high alert on Thursday after catastrophic flash floods in neighboring Nepal killed hundreds of people, as they brace for possible impacts in the border regions.

A flash flood caused by a collapsing glacier in the Himalayan region between Nepal and Tibet unleashed deadly waves across Nepal’s mountainous Rasuwa district near the Chinese border, leaving more than 1,300 people missing, including hundreds of foreign tourists.

At least 288 Indian nationals “remain uncontactable” as of Thursday afternoon, according to India’s Ministry of External Affairs. They make up the largest group of foreign tourists missing in Nepal, figures from the Nepal Tourism Board showed.

The northern Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, which border Nepal, were placed on high alert following the disaster, with officials “maintaining close monitoring of the situation” as “the impact of flood is likely to travel downstream in the Gandak river, in India,” the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement.

Local governments “have taken measures such as required evacuation and other support to local Indian communities near the India–Nepal border,” it added.

The two Indian states are home to more than 370 million people.

Widely circulated footage showed floodwaters sweeping through towns and valleys in Nepal, destroying homes and sweeping away bridges.

Rescue and relief workers struggled to reach affected areas on Thursday due to major road blocks from mud and debris, as well as high floodwaters.

At least 359 people were killed while hundreds others remain missing in Nepal, according to statements issued by Nepalese authorities, as over 4,000 security personnel were deployed to look for survivors. 

In Tibet, more than 500 people are reportedly missing and three are confirmed dead. It is not immediately clear if these figures overlap with Nepal’s.

About 200 Indian nationals are stranded in Tibet and seeking evacuation following the floods, India’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, told reporters in a briefing.

Many of the Indian citizens had traveled to Nepal and Tibet for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, a sacred pilgrimage to Mount Kailash.

“Urgent efforts are underway to ascertain the status and well-being of all Indians in the flood-affected areas,” S. Jaishankar, India’s minister of external affairs, said on X.

“We are working closely with the Nepali side, both on this aspect and on the relief efforts.”