Flash Flood on Nepal-Tibet Border Kills at Least 95, Hundreds of Foreign Tourists Missing

Kathmandu/Beijing — A massive flash flood swept through Himalayan border communities in Nepal on Wednesday, killing at least 95 people and leaving hundreds of foreign tourists and local residents missing, as authorities on both sides of the Nepal-Tibet border warned the toll could rise sharply.

Nepal Police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle said 95 deaths had been confirmed so far, with 28 police personnel also among the missing. Nepal’s tourism board said several hundred foreign nationals — estimates from officials ranged between roughly 340 and nearly 400 — had been reported missing, including citizens of India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Netherlands, South Africa and Malaysia. Dozens of Nepali residents were also unaccounted for.

The flooding struck the mountainous Rasuwa district, particularly the villages of Syabrubesi and Timure, sweeping away homes, roads, bridges and hydropower infrastructure along the Bhote Koshi River. Nepal’s energy ministry said roughly 430 megawatts of electricity supply — more than 12 percent of the national total, mostly from hydroelectric projects — had been disrupted. Floodwaters were too high in places for rescue helicopters to land, though the Nepal Army later began airlifting survivors from rooftops.

Across the border in Tibet, Chinese state media reported “major casualties” after a mudslide struck the Gyirong Port land crossing, with Xinhua saying three people had died and around 265 remained missing in the area. The disaster also cut roads, communications and power links in the Shigatse region. Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an “all-out” search and rescue effort and for stronger monitoring systems to prevent further incidents.

The exact cause of the disaster remains unconfirmed. Nepali officials and researchers have pointed to a rock-ice avalanche in the Lhende Khola river that is believed to have blocked the waterway before giving way, triggering the flood. Germany’s GFZ Research Centre for Geosciences noted that a 4.4-magnitude earthquake was recorded in the area roughly seven minutes before the flood was captured on security footage, though experts have not confirmed a direct causal link. Qianggong Zhang of the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development said a blockage may still be lodged upstream on the border river, raising fears of a second flood.

Flood alerts were also issued downstream in India’s Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states, where rivers originating in the Himalayas flow into the plains. Authorities in Bihar said about 5,000 people had already been evacuated from six districts, with plans to move as many as 10,000 to 12,000 people to safety.

Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah pledged a full government response, saying the state would stand by those affected “with all its means and resources.” Search and rescue operations were ongoing on both sides of the border as of Wednesday, with officials cautioning that the confirmed death toll is likely to increase once floodwaters recede and the full extent of the damage becomes clear.

Source BBC NEWS