Hundreds of people were left missing after the incident – Image: Prabin Ranabhat/AFP
Dozens have died and hundreds were reported missing in the catastrophe, including 341 foreign tourists. Rescue helicopters have been unable to land in affected areas due to high floodwaters.
Dozens of people were confirmed dead and hundreds more are missing after a flash flood swept through remote valleys in Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday.
Nepali police said that authorities have recovered 157 bodies. Officers were “working to move families in flood-risk areas… to safer locations,” police said.
“The pain and loss you have suffered is not small. But I want to assure you that you are not alone in this difficult time — the state is with you with all its means and resources,” Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah said in a statement posted to social media. “Please be patient. The government takes full responsibility for your rescue, treatment, food and shelter. In times of such a disaster, we all need to stand together.”
In China, authorities said at least three have died, with 265 still missing, China’s state broadcaster CCTV said.
The floodwaters washed away villages, damaged bridges and destroyed electrical infrastructure on both sides of the Nepal-China border.
“There is devastation everywhere we look,” Tula Bahadur BK, a health worker in Rasuwa district, told Reuters.
“The settlements next to the river have been completely swept away. Five of my own relatives are missing.”
At the same time, Chinese authorities also reported that a mudslide caused “major casualties” on the other side of the border in Tibet.
Security cameras captured the moment a wall of mud hit the Nepal-China border – Image: REUTERS
Hundreds of people missing
Nepal’s Tourism Ministry said 403 travelers were reported missing for several hours after the floods struck.
Missing travelers included 341 foreign tourists, among them 142 Indians. Other nationalities of those missing included people from Australia, Britain, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea and the United States, the tourism board said.
A Nepali police spokesperson told Germany’s DPA news agency that dozens of personnel were also missing.
“So far, we only have confirmation of 26 police personnel who remain missing in the flood,” they said.
“We also have missing information of government revenue officials, hydropower workers among others. But we are still collecting the data.”
Villages in Rasuwa district were swept away by the deluge of water and mud – Image: Sunil Sharma/ZUMA/IMAGO
What caused the flash floods?
Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said an earthquake triggered an avalanche in the Himalayas that then triggered flash floods in the valleys below.
Chinese state news agency Xinhua said a mudslide on the Nepali side of the mountains spread to Gyirong County in Tibet.
“Entire villages and market areas have been wiped out,” said David Fisher, the Nepal head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
The burst river also inundated villages in Dhading district – Image: REUTERS
Major rescue operations underway
Nepal dispatched more than a dozen rescue helicopters to the mountainous Rasuwa region, but floodwaters were too high for the helicopters to land.
Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah said the military and police were assisting with rescues.
“Instructions have been given … to move the people living in the lower areas to safer places,” he said. “People along the river are advised to exercise extra caution and remain alert.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping also ordered an “all out” rescue effort.
He said “the most urgent task is doing everything possible to search for and rescue the missing people… quickly treat injured people and minimize casualties to the greatest extent possible,” according to Chinese state media.
Rescue helicopters were initially unable to land due to the high floodwaters – Image: Prabin Ranabhat/AFP
A second flood may be imminent, according to Qianggong Zhang, head of climate and environmental risks at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.
“With a blockage still lodged upstream on the Nepal-China border river, authorities warn a second flood may occur,” he told the AFP news agency.
DW.com/NAN 27-08-26
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