Massive flash floods striking a border area of Nepal and China on Wednesday left at least 98 people dead and hundreds missing according to Associated Press reports. The disaster swept through local communities, buried buildings, destroyed roads, and brought travel to a halt in parts of the Himalayan region.
Flash Floods and Mudslides Leave At Least 98 Dead Along Nepal-China Border
The prime minister’s office in Nepal reported at least 95 dead, while China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported that a mudslide in the Tibet region’s Gyirong County near the border killed at least three people and left 265 missing based on a preliminary count. Nepali officials stated that a total of 403 people were reported missing, a figure that includes 341 foreign nationals.
International Citizens Among the Missing as Rescue Efforts Escalate
Tourism board spokesperson Sunil Sharma reported that among the missing were 133 Indian nationals on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus. Additional missing foreign nationals included 47 from the United States, 34 from Australia, 33 from Britain, and 24 from Canada, with individuals from at least 26 countries present in the affected area.
Furthermore, South Korean officials stated that nine citizens working on building a hydropower plant in Nepal were among the missing. Malaysia’s foreign ministry reported that its embassy lost contact with 11 Malaysians believed to be in the Rasuwa district, and Russia’s embassy noted that four of its citizens in the affected area were unaccounted for.
Nepal police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle stated that at least 28 police officials were also among the missing, alongside at least 62 Nepali citizens who were trekking in the Gosaikunda Lake area in Rasuwa. That trekking activity coincided with the local festival of Janai Purnima on Friday.
Government spokesperson Sasmit Pokharel stated, We have asked both India and China to help us with the rescue efforts,
as reported by CNBC. Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered authorities to step up rescue efforts, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah to offer assistance. Modi posted on social media that India is prepared to provide Nepal with all possible types of humanitarian assistance. Our teams are closely coordinating on rescue and relief efforts.
Additionally, Australia, Britain, the European Union, Finland, France, Norway, and Switzerland issued a joint statement expressing solidarity with Nepal and encouraging people in affected areas to follow local safety advisories.
Glacial Avalanche Triggers Sudden Surge in River Systems
The Bhotekoshi River flooded around 9 a.m. Wednesday, destroying several villages, roads, and hydropower projects. Officials issued warnings for residents in several districts to stay away from the banks of the Bhotekoshi, Trishuli, and Narayani rivers.
Climate experts at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development explained that an ice-rock avalanche from a glacier on the Nepal side likely triggered Wednesday’s flash flood by blocking the Lhende Khola River—a tributary of the Bhotekoshi—and releasing a sudden surge downstream. Saswata Sanyal, a disaster risk reduction specialist at the research group, noted that the Lhende Khola had flooded twice in 14 months and emphasized the importance of early warnings in a warming Himalaya.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported a magnitude 4.4 earthquake early Wednesday approximately 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Kathmandu, near the border with China’s autonomous region of Tibet.
Experts noted that the Himalayan region is particularly vulnerable to heavy rains, floods, and landslides driven by human-caused climate change, which has increased the frequency of extreme weather events such as heat waves, heavy rains, and melting glaciers.
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