Death Toll Rises in Nepal and Tibet Landslide and Rockslide Disasters; Over 1,300 Missing, Including Foreign Tourists
The death toll from the devastating floods that struck a border region between Nepal and China has risen to at least 300, while authorities estimated the number of missing at more than 1,300, including approximately 400 foreign tourists, according to Nepalese officials.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted Chinese authorities as saying that three people died in the Tibet Autonomous Region, noting that 558 people remained missing on its territory.
The US Geological Survey stated that the floods were caused by a landslide powerful enough to trigger a 5.2-magnitude earthquake, along with soil slides.
The floods swept through the Trishuli River valley in Nuwakot district, north of Kathmandu, as well as the Bhote Koshi River valley in the eastern part of the Nepalese capital. In a surveillance video footage verified by AFP, a large multi-story building and people attempting to flee are seen suddenly engulfed by raging torrents.
Another verified clip shows a massive tsunami-like wave rushing toward a parking lot overlooking a river, sweeping away buses and destroyed buildings.
The Nepalese army is conducting aerial operations after ordering residents in areas along the river to evacuate their homes. Security forces continue to evacuate families living in flood-prone areas, while rescue teams search for survivors amidst mud and debris, after muddy floodwaters inundated the lower floors of multi-story buildings.
Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) pledged to mobilize all resources to confront the disaster, stating, “The pain and loss you have endured are not trivial, but I assure you that you are not alone; the state stands by you with all its means and capabilities.”
Nepalese Foreign Minister Chandra Prasad Khanal indicated that an earthquake may have triggered a landslide that dammed a river before the water surged forcefully into areas downstream. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority suggested that a glacial rock-ice collapse on the Nepal-China border may have caused the floods.
According to this authority, satellite data from Planet Labs indicates that a “slide of snow and rocks” at the China-Nepal border may have triggered the flooding.
Meanwhile, China’s state broadcaster, China Central Television (CCTV), broadcast scenes of raging waters sweeping away tree branches and debris, as well as a waterlogged road. Approximately 800 rescue personnel and 150 vehicles, along with police dogs and speedboats, were deployed to participate in rescue operations, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
Xinhua quoted Chinese President Xi Jinping as saying, “The most urgent task is to make every possible effort to search for and rescue the missing, evacuate and resettle residents at risk, treat the injured promptly, and minimize the number of casualties to the lowest possible level.”
Meanwhile, David Fisher, representative of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Nepal, said that “villages and commercial areas have been wiped off the map,” adding that the Federation would send emergency supplies to the affected areas.
