The number of people missing after a deadly Himalayan landslide and glacial collapse rose by about 1,750 on Monday. Rescuers are searching for survivors along the Nepal-China border.
Page B3From§Eachthe milkman edition — 31 August 2026
Nepal triples missing count, Grand Canyon flood follows suit
Born in the tradition of the daily tally, the count of missing persons has always been penny-ante, but this week the sum grows. Nepal, whose floods have now swept away over 900 souls, revises its missing count upward from 4,200 to 4,700 and still rising. The Grand Canyon, famed for its vastness and its sudden, deadly turns, records a flash flood with fifteen missing in a single event. The numbers, as always, are estimates; the names, as always, are absent. The park service stands watch, but the flood precedes them in every measure. The State Department names eighty-five Americans among Nepal's missing, a ledger item in a sea of loss. The count is a moving target, and the response is just as fluid. In lieu of flowers, ask for the tally to be made public, and for the funds to follow the count.
“You see the numbers go up and up, and the bodies aren't the only thing missing. If the flood takes thousands in Nepal and the Canyon loses fifteen in a day, the lesson is: the count is always behind, and the money never keeps up. They tally the missing, but the ledger doesn't change.”
“I don't think it's fair to compare international and domestic responses. Nepal's situation is tragic, obviously, but the US park service acted quickly and transparently—did I say that? I'm sure the numbers will be clarified soon, and besides, it's not as though the Colorado River is drying up. Oh, wait, that was another story.”
The receipts
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — One person died and about 15 people are missing or unaccounted for after a major flash flood at the Grand Canyon forced evacuations, pushed large boulders into the Colorado River and knocked out the sole water…
There are approximately 85 Americans still missing after flash flooding on the border of Nepal and Tibet, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said Sunday. "This morning, I can say we now have 85 Americans, approximately, that are…
Approximately 15 people may be missing or unaccounted for after a significant flash flood occurred in the Grand Canyon, the National Parks Service (NPS) said Sunday. The flood ripped through Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area…
The death toll in last week’s devastating flooding in Nepal has risen to 903 people, officials said Monday, as the number of those listed as missing nearly doubled to 4,247.
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.