Nepal-Tibet Floods Leave 165 Dead and Nearly 1,500 Missing

Reuters

Devastating Nepal-Tibet Floods Leave Hundreds Dead and Missing.

A devastating flash flood triggered by a collapse of ice, rock and mud in the Himalayas has killed at least 165 people and left nearly 1,500 missing across Nepal and China’s Tibet region, with hundreds of foreign nationals among those unaccounted for.

The disaster struck on Wednesday along the Nepal-China border, when a massive wall of mud and rock collapsed into a river, sending torrents of water and debris through communities in northern Nepal. Homes, roads, bridges and power infrastructure were swept away, while major routes connecting Nepal with Tibet were severely damaged.

Nepalese authorities said the death toll had risen to 165, while the number of missing people in Nepal alone reached 826. The wider figure of nearly 1,500 missing includes people unaccounted for on both sides of the Nepal-Tibet border.

The missing include hundreds of foreign tourists and pilgrims. Nepalese authorities have reported hundreds of foreign nationals among those missing, while the wider regional figure includes more than 700 foreign nationals.

Many of those affected were travelling through the region towards religious and tourist destinations, including Mount Kailash in Tibet. The area is particularly busy with pilgrims and trekkers during this period of the year.

Nepalese security forces and emergency teams have launched extensive search-and-rescue operations in the affected areas. Helicopters have been used to deliver emergency supplies and evacuate survivors, while rescue teams are searching through mud and debris for people still missing.

Reuters reported that 125 people, including 20 foreign nationals, had been rescued on Thursday as operations continued in difficult conditions.

The scale of the destruction and mountainous terrain are complicating rescue efforts. Thick layers of mud and debris have covered roads and settlements, while damaged bridges and infrastructure have made access to some areas particularly difficult.

The disaster was initially associated with seismic activity, but subsequent assessments indicated that a collapse of glacial material was responsible for the catastrophic flooding.

A huge mass of ice, rock and mud collapsed into a Himalayan river, generating a powerful surge that travelled downstream and devastated communities on the Nepali side of the border.

The event has renewed concerns over the growing risks associated with unstable glaciers and extreme weather in the Himalayan region. Scientists have increasingly warned that rising temperatures are contributing to changes in glaciers and increasing the potential for dangerous glacial events.

The flooding caused widespread destruction in Nepal, particularly in areas including Nuwakot and Dhading. Houses were destroyed, roads and bridges washed away, and power projects damaged.

On the Chinese side of the border, authorities in Tibet reported deaths and hundreds of people missing after a mudslide struck the Gyirong area. Chinese authorities have also been monitoring a dammed lake created by the disaster because of concerns that it could trigger further flooding.

The disaster has severely disrupted transport along an important route linking Kathmandu with Lhasa, while communities on both sides of the border remain cut off in some areas.

As search operations continue, officials warn that the death toll could rise further. The immediate priority remains finding those missing, evacuating survivors and restoring access to communities cut off by the floods.


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