85 Americans Missing in the Himalayas

A massive glacial collapse along the Nepal-Tibet border has left more than 900 people dead and thousands still missing. Among the unaccounted for are approximately 85 Americans.

Many weren't hikers or adventure tourists. They were pilgrims traveling to or from Mount Kailash in Tibet, one of the most sacred places in several of the world's religions. Some had planned the journey for years. One was celebrating his 60th birthday. A mother was traveling with her 14-year-old daughter. Another American sent his family a video of the Himalayan valley that morning. Less than two hours later, the glacier collapsed.

In this episode of The Watch Floor, Sarah Adams walks through what happened, why so many Americans were concentrated near the Gyirong border crossing, and the enormous search-and-rescue operation now underway across Nepal and Tibet.

The episode also looks at the nearly 1,000 hydropower workers reported missing from projects downstream, some potentially trapped inside mountain tunnels, and why reconciling the lists of missing Americans has become so difficult.

As of the episode's recording, nine Americans had been evacuated and there were no confirmed U.S. citizen deaths. But approximately 85 remained unaccounted for, leaving families thousands of miles away waiting for a phone call.

The search is still underway.