384 tourists, including foreigners, out of contact after Nepal floods

Over 380 tourists, mostly foreigners, were out of contact on Wednesday in Nepal after a massive flood tore through the border region with Tibet.

Images shared by Nepali police showed floodwater surging through a river, sweeping away houses in its path, while AFP images depicted the top floor of a house sticking out from muddy soil.

"A preliminary agency-wise record received from tourism and travel companies has identified 384 travellers, including 291 foreign nationals and 93 Nepali nationals, who were reported missing from the affected areas," said Nepal Tourism Board, noting authorities were working to verify the travellers' whereabouts.

At least eight bodies have been recovered in the floods, according to police, but it was unclear if any of them were connected to the uncontacted tourists.

The flood hit Syabrubesi, the starting point to the popular Langtang trek as well as other areas used by travellers for Hindu pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar.

A police spokesman told AFP earlier that authorities did not know the extent of the damage but said they had "alerted people who are staying near the riverside to relocate".