Rescue teams searched for hundreds of missing individuals along the Nepal-China border after a deadly torrent of floods and mud swept through several communities one day prior following a glacial collapse.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority in Nepal reported that 826 people were missing, and the death toll from the country’s flash floods reached 165 on Thursday. Nepalese authorities intensified operations in the most affected districts of Nuwakot and Rasuwa.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV separately stated that among the 558 missing people in Tibet, 260 were foreigners, and two villagers had been rescued. As of Thursday morning, at least three fatalities had occurred, it reported.
This disaster in Nepal and Tibet is not isolated. The Lhende Khola river system has flooded twice within 14 months, and the increasingly unstable Himalayan ice system poses a threat to communities, infrastructure, and water supplies across one of the world's most densely populated regions.
The region experienced similar flash floods last August when a glacial lake in Tibet overflowed due to high temperatures. That event resulted in nine deaths and damaged critical infrastructure, including a bridge connecting Nepal and China.
Drone footage from Nepal showed roads destroyed and buildings buried by water described as the color of wet cement.
While steep valleys in the region serve as economic lifelines and travel corridors, they are precarious during disasters. Images revealed what appeared to be the second floors of buildings in Nuwakot district, hard-hit by the torrent, covered in mud. Debris hung from tree branches and wires, vehicles were buried, and some stunned survivors were coated in mud. The floods caused travel disruptions in certain areas.
There was insufficient time for many people to evacuate.
Resident Shoyam Rajbhandari stated, “When I reached Dhunge bazaar, in half an hour, the flood came and damaged all the market. People were preparing to go to office then. How many people are missing or dead, we don’t know.”
Helicopters Deployed Amid Road Damage
Army and private helicopters have been deployed since early morning. Brigadier General Raja Ram Basnet, a spokesperson for the Nepalese army, confirmed that helicopter operations on Thursday morning had rescued over 100 people from flood-affected zones.
He added that at least eight foreign nationals were airlifted to Kathmandu, and army teams also evacuated individuals trapped in facilities associated with the Trishuli hydropower project.
Rescuers located bodies about a hundred kilometers downstream from the disaster zone in Chitwan district. Numerous injured people have been transported to Kathmandu, the nation's capital, for advanced medical care.
In Tibet, CCTV reported on Thursday that a mudslide near the Gyirong Port land border crossing on Wednesday left surrounding areas with an average of over 1.5 meters (5 feet) of mud, with some road sections exceeding 2 meters (6 feet). All roads leading to the port were damaged, and communication was severed, it noted. The report added that secondary collapses or landslides might occur due to ongoing light rain.
CCTV also mentioned the discovery of a barrier lake in the direction of the port, which complicates rescue efforts. Chinese authorities deployed a large military transport aircraft to send a team to the area.
Hundreds of Foreigners Missing
Officials in Nepal had previously indicated that hundreds of foreigners were missing, including Indian nationals who were on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus.
Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong informed reporters on Thursday that at least 34 Australians participating in pilgrimages and hiking tours were unaccounted for.
“We understand these Australians were part of separate pilgrimage and tour groups,” Wong told reporters in Adelaide, Australia.
She added that while the Nepalese government had not yet requested assistance, Australia was coordinating a humanitarian response with Nepal, the United Nations, the Red Cross, and other organizations.
Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry revised its count upward on Thursday, stating that 55 Malaysians in Kathmandu were unreachable due to severe infrastructure disruptions hindering contact efforts. It confirmed there was no official confirmation of Malaysian casualties and noted they were working closely with authorities to determine their safety and whereabouts.
Experts Attribute Floods to Glacial Collapse
The U.S. Geological Survey initially reported a magnitude 4.4 earthquake early Wednesday, approximately 66 kilometers (41 miles) north of Kathmandu, near the border. The USGS later revised its assessment, stating the seismic event measured was a magnitude 5.2 glacial collapse that caused debris to flow downstream with catastrophic impact on communities. It based this determination on data from nearby seismic stations, long period seismic waves, and satellite imagery, asserting no earthquake had occurred.
Climate experts at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development suggested an avalanche from a glacier likely triggered Wednesday’s flash flood.
In an emailed statement, they noted, “Hydrological observations indicate the exceptional speed and magnitude of the flood wave,” pointing out that water levels on the Trishuli river rose by as much as 9 meters (27 feet) in half an hour at one point.
They stated that the Lhende Khola River, a tributary of the Bhotekoshi, experienced maximum flooding.
Saswata Sanyal, a disaster risk reduction specialist at the climate research group, said, “The Lhende Khola has flooded twice in 14 months, this time triggered by an ice rock avalanche from a glacier on the Nepal side that blocked the river and released a sudden surge downstream.” He emphasized the necessity of early warnings in "a warming Himalaya."
Warming Climate Poses Threat to Communities
The Himalayan mountain range spans several South Asian countries and contains many of the world's highest peaks and remaining glaciers.
The steep slopes and lush valleys below the Himalayas are particularly susceptible to flooding, landslides, and extreme weather events such as intense monsoons and melting glaciers, which are becoming more frequent due to human-caused climate change.
Researchers in Kathmandu discovered earlier this year that glaciers across the Hindu Kush Himalaya region are melting faster, with ice loss rates doubling since 2000.
The danger posed by melting glaciers has become a global issue.
Kafle reported from Kathmandu, Nepal. Associated Press journalists Kanis Leung in Hong Kong, Rod McGuirk in Melbourne, Australia, and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, contributed to this report.