Mudslide-Triggered Flood on Nepal-Tibet Border Leaves Hundreds Missing

Rescue teams were searching Thursday for hundreds of people missing after a sudden flood devastated parts of Nepal and Tibet, destroying homes, roads, vehicles and border facilities. Authorities said at least 160 people had died, but warned that the final toll could rise substantially. Nepalese police reported recovering 157 bodies. On the Tibetan side, Chinese state media reported three deaths and said 265 people were missing after a mudslide struck a border hub in Gyirong county. Officials there described the situation as involving “major casualties.” The disaster began Wednesday when a huge mass of mud and rock collapsed into a river near the Himalayan border. Surveillance footage from the Chinese side showed a surge of debris engulfing a multistory building as people fled nearby. Buses and cars were swept away, while entire villages and markets were reported destroyed. Nepal’s tourism ministry said at least 403 tourists were unaccounted for several hours after the flood, including 341 foreign nationals. Those listed as missing included citizens of India, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada, South Korea, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Portugal and South Africa. Seoul’s foreign ministry separately reported that nine South Koreans were missing. At least 28 Nepal police officers were also unaccounted for. Nearly 800 emergency workers, 150 vehicles, sniffer dogs and speedboats were mobilized on the Tibetan side, according to China’s Xinhua news agency. In Nepal, police were recovering and identifying bodies while helping move families away from areas at risk of additional flooding. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it was sending blankets, first-aid kits, stretchers and body bags. United Nations teams were also mobilizing personnel and supplies. The event’s cause remained under assessment. Initial Nepalese reports suggested an earthquake may have caused part of a glacier to collapse. Nepal’s disaster authority later cited satellite evidence of a snow-and-rock landslide, while officials said the landslide may have blocked the river before water surged downstream. The US Geological Survey initially recorded a magnitude 4.4 earthquake, then characterized the shaking as a magnitude 5.2 landslide. Experts warned that a remaining blockage upstream could trigger another flood, adding urgency to the ongoing search and rescue operation.