Hundreds Missing After Massive Flash Flood on China-Nepal Border
A wall of mud, rock and water tore through the Nepal-Tibet frontier, killing at least 95 people and leaving hundreds missing as roads, villages, power projects and a key border crossing were destroyed.
least 95 people have been killed, and hundreds remain missing after a torrent of mud, rock and water swept through the Himalayan frontier between Nepal and China's Tibet, destroying settlements and infrastructure on both sides of the border.
Nepalese authorities said 95 bodies had been recovered but not yet identified.
Another 484 tourists were listed as missing, including 391 foreigners and 93 Nepalis, while the number of missing local residents remained unclear.
China reported three deaths and 265 people missing in Gyirong, where the disaster struck a border crossing and severed roads, communications and electricity.
Hundreds Unaccounted
The scale of the disaster was still emerging on Wednesday as rescue teams struggled to reach affected communities.
Among the missing foreign travelers were more than 100 Indians, three U.S. citizens and 12 British nationals, according to Nepal's tourism ministry.
South Korea said eight of its citizens working at a hydropower project were also missing.
The region sits on a route toward Kailash Manasarovar in Tibet, a destination visited by hundreds of Hindu pilgrims from India and elsewhere, particularly at this time of year.
Survivors Describe Wall of Mud
Verified footage showed people running from the advancing torrent before buildings and vehicles were overwhelmed.
Keshav Prasad Baral, 68, said the mud rapidly engulfed his home as he attempted to escape with his wife.
“It was a huge gush of mud coming straight towards us. As it got closer, it kept rising higher and higher. When I saw it enter our home, I tried to grab my wife’s hand and take her to the terrace. But she was swept away by the mud,” he said.
Baral was rescued by helicopter several hours later.
“My wife is still somewhere beneath the mud. She's gone.”
Another survivor said he escaped by holding on to a mango tree while watching the house where he had been working disappear.
Possible Earthquake Link
Nepalese officials initially suggested that an earthquake may have caused part of a glacier to collapse, triggering the flood.
The German Research Center for Geosciences recorded a magnitude 4.4 earthquake about seven minutes before the time shown on security footage from the Chinese side.
Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said an initial assessment of Planet Labs satellite imagery indicated that a landslide involving ice and rock had generated a debris-heavy flood in the Lhende river.
The apparent collapse occurred about 20 km northeast of the Rasuwagadhi border crossing between Nepal and China.
Villages and Infrastructure Swept Away
The flooding caused extensive destruction in Nepal's Rasuwa district, where homes, roads, vehicles and hydropower infrastructure were submerged or buried.
Television footage showed houses collapsing, cars floating in floodwaters and a metal bridge being carried away.
“There is devastation everywhere we look,” said Tula Bahadur BK, a health worker in Rasuwa. “The settlements next to the river have been completely swept away. Five of my own relatives are missing.”
Electricity failures left relatives of missing people gathering outside a Nepalese army training center while police recorded names using mobile phone flashlights.
Helicopters transported survivors through the area, although officials said aircraft could not land in Syapru Besi and Timure because of conditions around the swollen river.
Gyirong Border Crossing Cut Off
On the Tibetan side, the mudslide struck Gyirong port in the Shigatse region and cut major transport and communications links.
China's military deployed drones to assess the damage and placed transport aircraft, helicopters and other equipment on standby.
A rescuer interviewed by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said teams had been unable to establish contact with the Gyirong border port.
A preliminary drone assessment found that roads leading to the crossing had been completely destroyed.
Flood Alerts Extend Into India
The muddy floodwaters descended from an estimated elevation of nearly 2,000 meters, prompting alerts farther downstream.
Warnings were issued in the northern Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where rivers flowing from Nepal's mountains enter densely populated plains.
Authorities in Bihar said about 5,000 people had been evacuated from six districts, with plans to move between 10,000 and 12,000 people in total.
