Nepal-Tibet Flash Floods Leave 93,000 in Need as Rescue Efforts Stall

At least 93,000 people may have been affected by flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, as rescuers struggle to reach communities cut off by destroyed roads and bridges. The floods killed at least 543 people by Friday afternoon—538 in Nepal and five in Tibet, China—while Nepalese authorities said 1,942 people were still missing. The Red Cross warned that the death toll could rise as teams reach more of the disaster zone. The flooding began on Wednesday morning after a large section of a Himalayan glacier broke loose in Nepal’s Langtang National Park, according to reporting by The Guardian. The resulting surge carried water, mud, rocks and ice through rivers and valleys, destroying villages, power stations, roads and bridges. More than 40 bridges were destroyed or badly damaged, and over 40 kilometers of road were reportedly wiped out, said Lila Pieters Yahia, the United Nations resident coordinator for Nepal. Many of the hardest-hit locations could be reached only by military helicopter. Rescue operations were temporarily suspended on Friday after debris formed a lake near the border and the lake began overflowing. The rising water sent residents in Nepal’s Rasuwa district toward higher ground and forced rescue workers near the Trishuli River to withdraw. People who had returned to damaged homes were told to evacuate again. Nepali army helicopters rescued more than 100 people, while injured survivors were taken to Kathmandu for advanced medical treatment. Bodies were also found hundreds of miles downstream in Nepal’s Chitwan district. In Bidur, one of the badly damaged towns, officials said some bodies remained inside buildings that were too dangerous to enter. The disaster has left many families searching for missing relatives, including foreign nationals who had been in the region for work, trekking or pilgrimage. Several countries, including India, China, the United States, Britain, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, reportedly offered search-and-rescue assistance. Nepal’s foreign ministry said its own security agencies were conducting the operation and that foreign help was not yet required. Chinese authorities have released limited information about the destruction in Tibet and have confirmed five deaths there.