Devastating flash flood on Nepal-Tibet border kills 55, hundreds of tourists missing
Homes, roads, and power projects have been swept away in the disaster.
Highlights:
- 55 dead, 384 travellers missing after flash floods hit Nepal near the Tibet border.
- Homes, roads, bridges and power projects swept away in the disaster.
- A second flood may occur, experts warn.
- Rescue efforts hampered as helicopters could not land in affected areas.
- China and Nepal have both deployed rescuers
A wall of mud and rock appeared to collapse into a river on the Himalayan border of Nepal and China's Tibet today (26 August), triggering catastrophic flooding on the Nepali side that killed at least 55 people and left hundreds of tourists missing, according to local media reports.
In a still-unfolding disaster, verified videos showed dozens of people swept away at the border, with authorities on both sides fearing far higher casualties and massive destruction.
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Houses, roads and power projects were swept away in Nepal, while officials in Tibet said they feared "major casualties" with some missing in the county of Gyirong after a mudslide hit a border land crossing.
Initial reports suggested that an earthquake in the area could have triggered an avalanche and caused the floods, Nepal's foreign minister Shisir Khanal told the country's parliament today, local media reported.
At least 384 travellers, including 105 Indians, 93 Nepalis, three US citizens and 12 British nationals were missing from the region, Nepal's tourism authority said.
South Korean news agency Yonhap separately reported that about eight of its nationals were also unaccounted for in Nepal.
Flood alerts were issued in the populous northern Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar as they border Nepal and several rivers flow down the mountains into their plains.
Expert fears a second flood
Security footage captured on the Chinese side of the Nepal-Tibet border showed many people fleeing before a wall of rock, mud and water destroyed buildings, vehicles and took many lives.
The exact cause of the mudslide could not be immediately determined, but the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said there was a 4.4 magnitude quake approximately seven minutes before the time shown on the security footage time-stamp.
An ice-rock avalanche in the Lhende Khola river on the Nepali side was the trigger, but the cause remains unconfirmed, said Qianggong Zhang, head of climate and environmental risks, at the Kathmandu-based 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," Qianggong said.
Rescue helicopters could not land in Nepal's affected areas of Syapru Besi and Timure in the mountainous district of Rasuwa, with a population of about 50,000, officials said, with the river flowing above its normal course.
Television images showed crumbled homes in the flood waters, floating cars and a metal bridge being washed away, while witnesses told Reuters the waters engulfed entire villages.
"There could be heavy casualties or loss of property," said district administrator Narendra Pariyar, who urged dwellers on the banks of the Bhote Koshi river to move to higher ground, after reports of villages and project sites being swept up.
"There is devastation everywhere we look," Tula Bahadur BK, a health worker in Rasuwa, told Reuters. "The settlements next to the river have been completely swept away. Five of my own relatives are missing."
China and Nepal have both deployed rescuers
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said authorities had deployed at least 574 rescuers to Tibet's Gyirong land crossing.
A rescuer told CCTV earlier that it would take at least four hours for the team to reach the site due to sediment 1.5 meters (5 feet) deep that blocked pathways leading to the affected area.
The debris had surged upstream from the Nepalese side of the crossing, the rescuer said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping urged "all-out" search efforts for the missing, as well as stronger monitoring and early warning systems to prevent secondary disasters.
Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah said police and military were joining in the rescue effort.
"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."
