Nepal: Nepal rescuers searched on Thursday for hundreds of people missing after a massive landslide triggered catastrophic flooding along the Himalayan border with China, killing at least 162 people and sweeping away homes, roads, vehicles and infrastructure.
The disaster struck near the Nepal-China border after a wall of mud, rock and water surged through the region, affecting towns and valleys in Nepal as well as China’s Tibet region. Nepali police warned that the death toll could rise as rescue teams resumed operations and recovered more bodies.
More than 400 foreigners were among 579 tourists reported missing, according to Nepal tourism officials. The missing included 47 US nationals, 34 Australians, 33 Britons and 24 Canadians. China separately reported 558 people missing in Tibet’s Gyirong county, including 260 foreign nationals, although officials said it was unclear whether the figures overlapped.
Verified footage showed torrents of mud, rocks and water sweeping through a border crossing in Gyirong, destroying buildings and vehicles before the debris flowed downstream into Nepal.
What caused the devastating floods in Nepal?
Nepali officials initially suggested that seismic activity could have triggered the collapse of part of a glacier and caused the flooding. However, the US Geological Survey said an earthquake initially reported at magnitude 4.4 was actually seismic energy generated by the collapse of glacial rock and ice, followed by a debris flow.
An initial analysis of satellite imagery by Planet Labs indicated that a landslide involving ice and rock unleashed floodwaters carrying large amounts of debris into the Lhende River, around 20 kilometres northeast of the Rasuwagadhi border crossing.
The disaster struck an area frequently visited by trekkers and pilgrims, including people travelling toward Kailash Mansarovar, a high-altitude religious site in Tibet revered by Hindus and Buddhists.
Witnesses described entire settlements being engulfed by mud and water. Keshav Prasad Baral, a 68-year-old survivor, told Reuters that he attempted to save his wife as the mud entered their home, but she was swept away.
How are Nepal and other countries responding to the disaster?
Nepal has deployed helicopters to search for survivors and deliver emergency assistance to the worst-hit districts. The army said helicopters were dropping tents, food and other supplies provided by neighbouring India.
Families of missing people gathered outside a Nepal Army training centre that was being used as a base for helicopter rescue operations. Power outages caused by damage to hydropower infrastructure left some areas without electricity, with police using mobile-phone flashlights while recording the names of missing people.
The United States said it was sending a disaster-response adviser and providing $500,000 in assistance, while the United Nations said its teams and partners were deploying supplies and personnel to support affected communities.
Several countries were also searching for missing nationals. South Korea reported eight nationals working at a hydropower project missing, while Malaysia and Japan also reported missing citizens.
China reported three deaths and 265 people missing in Gyirong, while warning that its figures were still being verified. Chinese state media reported that the mudslide had severely damaged roads, communications and power links in the border region.
The scale of destruction has complicated rescue operations, with roads to the border crossing reportedly destroyed and communications disrupted. As helicopters continued carrying survivors to safety, rescuers remained focused on locating those still missing beneath the debris.