At Least 160 Dead, Hundreds Missing After Flood Devastates Nepal-Tibet Border

At least 160 people have been reported dead, and hundreds remain missing after a wall of water, mud, and rock tore through the Nepal-Tibet border region, sweeping away homes, roads, and bridges, and cutting off communities in Himalayan valleys.Nepal Police reported 157 deaths in a late Aug. 26 update. Across the border, the Chinese Gyirong disaster command reported three deaths and 265 people missing.The Nepal Tourism Board separately reported 403 travelers out of contact—341 foreigners and 62 Nepalis. They included 133 Indians, 47 Americans, 34 Australians, 33 Britons, 24 Canadians, and 19 Malaysians.The travelers had been reported out of contact through tour companies, so those on the list were not necessarily caught in the flood.CCTV footage from Gyirong Port shows people running moments before a surge of mud, water, and debris sweeps through the border facility.Hundreds Out of ContactThe flood tore through communities along Nepal’s Bhote Koshi river system in Rasuwa district before surging farther downstream.Acting Tourism Board chief Hikmat Singh Ayer said the 403 travelers had been traveling with tour companies toward Gosaikunda and Kailash Mansarovar. Tourism police, local authorities and security agencies were working to locate them.Nepal Police, in a late-night update, said 41 injured people were receiving treatment, and 3,391 police personnel had been mobilized.Search and rescue teams were deployed across Rasuwa and downstream districts for evacuations, searches, recovery of bodies, and relief work.A Nepal Police rescue update said specialized personnel, medical teams, search dogs, and drones were being used in affected areas.The disaster also cut off police officers stationed along the river corridor. Nepal’s Public Service Broadcasting service reported earlier that 26 officers at Timure, Syaphrubesi, Simle and Mailung had lost contact.Nepal Police also released video from the disaster area as rescue operations continued.Gyirong Port Cut OffAcross the border in Tibet, the disaster devastated Gyirong Port, one of the principal land crossings between Tibet and Nepal.China’s Ministry of Emergency Management said roads, electricity, and communications to the crossing were severed after the mudslide struck the border area.Chinese authorities initially stated only that the disaster had caused major casualties and left people missing. The Gyirong forward command later put the toll at three dead and 265 missing. It said the figures were preliminary and casualty numbers were still being verified.Access remained a major obstacle.The road from Gyirong town toward the border was closed in both directions after mud and debris made travel unsafe. A local traffic notice barred vehicles other than those involved in emergency and rescue work.Tibet’s emergency authorities mobilized hundreds of rescue personnel, vehicles, search dogs, boats, and life detection equipment.The regional government activated its highest-level natural-disaster response. At the national level, the Ministry of Emergency Management and China’s disaster relief commission activated a Level II emergency response.The Ministry of Emergency Management said 30,000 emergency items, including tents, folding beds, and clothing, were being sent to the area.Roads and Bridges Washed AwayOn the Nepal side, flooding heavily damaged Syaphrubesi, Timure, and surrounding communities.Homes, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure were damaged as authorities warned residents to stay away from rivers and slopes vulnerable to further landslides.Rasuwa’s chief district officer said five helicopters—three privately operated aircraft and two Nepal Army helicopters—were deployed for rescue operations.Nepal Police sent a nine-member medical team from the Nepal Police Hospital toward Rasuwa with an ambulance and emergency supplies.Damage to roads and bridges connecting Rasuwagadhi with the rest of Nepal complicated access to communities closest to the border.Nepal Police said its teams were carrying out searches, evacuations, body recovery, and relief operations while authorities urged residents in vulnerable areas to stay away from riverbanks and unstable slopes.More Rain Threatens Rescue WorkThe immediate danger has not passed.Meteorological authorities in Tibet’s Gyirong County, China, forecast continuing rain through Aug. 30, including heavier rain in some lower elevation areas.The local forecast warned of continued risk of flash floods, mudslides, and landslides. Weather officials said forecasts for the rescue area were being updated every two hours.