At least 22 bodies have been recovered after torrential floods tore through the Himalayan border region shared by Nepal and Tibet, in China, with roads, bridges, and power projects among the infrastructure destroyed, Reuters reported. Authorities in both countries are now bracing for the toll to climb further.
In Nepal, houses and roads were swept away by the surging waters, while across the border, officials in the Tibetan county of Gyirong said they feared "major casualties" after a mudslide struck a land crossing linking the two countries, with several people still unaccounted for. Among those unaccounted for are 384 tourists, The Guardian reported, with 291 hailing from countries including India, the US, the UK, and Malaysia.
Video: Civilians flee the flood in northern Nepal (Credit: Social media)
The mountainous district of Rasuwa, home to roughly 50,000 people, has seen its worst-affected zones – Syapru Besi and Timure – become inaccessible even to rescue helicopters, officials said, because the river remains well above its usual course. Footage aired on television showed homes reduced to rubble by the floodwaters, cars adrift in the current, and a metal bridge torn away entirely; witnesses speaking to Reuters described the waters swallowing whole villages.
District administrator Narendra Pariyar said, "There could be heavy casualties or loss of property," urging those living along the banks of the Bhote Koshi River to seek higher ground after reports emerged of villages and project sites being engulfed.
Army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet said Nepal's rescue helicopters will remain grounded in the affected zones until floodwaters subside. Rasuwa health worker Tula Bahadur BK told Reuters, "There is devastation everywhere we look. The settlements next to the river have been completely swept away. Five of my own relatives are missing." What triggered the flooding has not yet been determined, though a similarly deadly flash flood on the same river last year was ultimately linked to a draining glacier lake.
According to China's state-run Xinhua news agency, the mudslide originated on the Nepali side and struck the Gyirong port, severing roads, communications, and power links in the Shigatse region near the Nepal border. Chinese president Xi Jinping called for "all-out" efforts to locate the missing, alongside calls for stronger monitoring and early-warning systems to head off secondary disasters.
Nepal's energy ministry reported that 430MW of electricity supply had been disrupted, the bulk of it from hydroelectric plants – equivalent to more than 12% of the nation's total hydropower capacity of 3.2GW, according to a Reuters calculation. Nepal's prime minister, Balendra Shah, said police and the military have joined 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."
Nepal is a beloved and popular destination for Israelis, a fact that raises concern regarding Israeli tourists currently in the area.
