A devastating flash flood has struck the Nepal-Tibet border area, claiming more than 150 lives with over 500 people reported missing across both regions, including numerous international tourists.
A catastrophic flash flood has struck the Nepal-Tibet border region, leaving more than 150 people dead and hundreds unaccounted for. The disaster occurred on Wednesday in an area that attracts significant numbers of pilgrims and trekkers. According to Ada Derana, over 500 tourists remain missing in Nepal alone, with the missing including more than 100 Indian nationals, 54 Americans, 33 British citizens, and over 100 Nepali citizens. Chinese state media reported that at least three people have been killed in Tibet, with 265 others missing in the region.
The initial cause of the flooding remained unclear in the immediate aftermath. Authorities initially suspected seismic activity triggered the disaster, but investigations have since suggested that a landslide may have been responsible for generating the seismic readings. Video evidence captured the scale of the destruction, showing thick brown floodwater surging through valleys and destroying infrastructure. Footage from the Gyirong border crossing documented people fleeing as a wall of water crashed into buildings.
Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah stated that the nation is "shocked and deeply distressed" by the event. Local trekking guides have shared accounts of missing family members, with one guide in Nepal's Rasuwa region telling the BBC of hopes to locate his missing sister. As search and rescue operations continue, authorities warn that the death toll may rise as the full scope of the disaster becomes apparent in the coming days.
