Initially, a suspected earthquake was reported to be behind Wednesday's devastation, which killed at least 160 people. But according to the USGS, it was the collapse of a glacier and a landslide that caused widespread flooding in the Himalayan mountain range, along the border between Nepal and Tibet.
The US aid of $500,000 will go to support rescue efforts in the region.
"We express our solidarity with and join in our prayers for the Nepalese people following the devastating floods," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X.
Hundreds of people are missing, including a large number of tourists. According to local authorities, 341 of the 403 reported missing are foreign nationals.
Among the missing tourists, 133 people are reported to be Indians on a pilgrimage. In addition, 47 Americans, 34 Australians, 33 Britons and 24 Canadians are missing. The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has no information about injured or missing Swedes.
