"Tsunami-like" floods wipe out villages in Nepal and Tibet
Capital Cities – Agencies: Devastating floods that swept through areas on the border between Nepal and China’s Tibet Autonomous Region have claimed the lives of at least 372 people, with hundreds still missing, including foreign tourists of multiple nationalities. Chinese state media reported yesterday that 558 people were missing following floods and mudslides that struck Gyirong County in Tibet. China Central Television (CCTV) stated that 260 of the missing are foreigners, while the death toll on the Chinese side stood at three.
Conversely, the Nepalese police said yesterday that authorities had recovered 270 bodies after a torrential flood swept through border areas in the Himalayas between Nepal and China’s Tibet region. This raises the total death toll on both sides of the “Nepal and Chinese Tibet” border to at least 273. The number of missing in Nepal due to the massive flood that hit the Himalayan region has risen to 826, including approximately 600 foreigners, according to authorities. This brings the total number of missing persons reported in Nepal and China to 1,384. Consequently, the number of missing foreigners due to the terrifying flood exceeds 860, from several countries.
Escalating Toll
Chinese state media initially reported a landslide on the Tibetan side of the border near the Gyirong crossing, located at an altitude of about 1,800 meters, announcing three deaths and 265 missing, before later raising the number of missing to 558.
Following the disaster on the Chinese side, flash floods surged into the Trishuli River valley in Nuwakot district, north of the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, and also swept through the Bhote Koshi River valley east of the capital. The US Geological Survey stated that the floods were caused by a massive ice avalanche that generated tremors equivalent to a 5.2-magnitude earthquake, triggering landslides.
In footage captured by surveillance cameras, a large multi-story building was seen as people attempted to flee, before being suddenly engulfed by raging torrents. Another clip, also verified by the agency, showed a tsunami-like wave rushing toward a parking lot overlooking a river, before sweeping away buses and buildings with destructive force.
“Wiped off the Map”
In Nepal, security forces continued to evacuate families living in threatened areas, alongside search operations conducted by rescue teams to reach survivors amidst mud and rubble, after muddy waters submerged the lower floors of several multi-story buildings. David Fisher, representative of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Nepal, stated that “villages and commercial areas have been wiped off the map,” announcing the dispatch of emergency supplies to the affected regions.
According to Nepal’s Ministry of Tourism, 403 tourists remain missing, including 341 foreigners from various nationalities. In a subsequent report, Nepalese authorities said the number of missing had reached 826, including approximately 600 foreigners. The tourism authority stated that the missing persons list includes 142 Indian citizens, as well as nationals from Australia, Britain, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea, and the United States.
Australia announced the loss of 34 of its citizens, while Japan reported five missing, and South Korea reported nine of its nationals missing. Meanwhile, a travel agency said yesterday that 47 people, including two children, remain missing in Nepal. Saniket Pandey, managing director of the Nepalese company “Himalayan Glacier,” clarified that the group includes 15 Australians, 10 Canadians, 9 Nepalis, 8 Americans, two Britons, two Singaporeans, and one person holding dual Russian and American citizenship.
Estimates of the initial impact of the disaster varied. Nepalese Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal said an earthquake may have triggered a landslide that blocked a river, before the accumulated mass collapsed and water surged forcefully toward areas downstream. However, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) suggested that a rock-ice avalanche on the border between Nepal and China may have caused the floods. According to the NDRRMA, satellite data from Planet Labs indicates that a snow and rock slide occurred at the border between the two countries, likely the direct cause of the disaster.
Experts warned that continued blockage of a river channel could lead to new waves of flooding, while the Nepalese military conducts aerial rescue and evacuation operations. Authorities have urged residents in areas along the river to evacuate their homes, as searches for the missing continue amid fears of a rising death toll.
