American families are anxiously awaiting news of loved ones who joined a spiritual pilgrimage to Nepal when a glacier collapse triggered devastating floods that have killed more than 900 people along the Nepal-Tibet border. Nine US residents have been evacuated so far, but 85 Americans remain among more than 4,000 people worldwide still unaccounted for after travelling to trek Mount Kailash, a mountain considered sacred by Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and followers of the Tibetan Bon tradition.

The disaster struck last Wednesday when what was initially recorded as a magnitude 5.2 earthquake turned out to be a massive glacier collapse, sending a torrent of freezing water, rock and debris down the Lende Khola River, destroying villages, border checkpoints and the Friendship Bridge linking Nepal and China. Tour operator Himalayan Glacier reported 40 of its pilgrims missing, including eight Americans, while the Tennessee-based Isha Foundation said 77 of its group were unaccounted for, among them 22 Americans, warning the site was buried under 50 feet of silt and debris and that hopes of a positive outcome were fading.