Nearly 470 killed in Nepal floods: What we know about rescue efforts | Floods News
At least 469 people have died and more than 1,500 are missing in Nepal and China’s Tibet region following a glacial collapse that unleashed a torrent of mud and rock into the region’s rivers, leading to severe flooding, authorities in Kathmandu reported.
The flooding, which struck the mountainous border area of Nepal and Tibet, caused significant damage in Nepal’s Rasuwa district, located just south of the Chinese border.
Television footage showed destroyed homes, vehicles swept away, and infrastructure such as a metal bridge being carried off by the floodwaters. Eyewitnesses described entire villages submerged.
Search and rescue teams have been deployed to locate victims and those reported missing. However, recovery efforts face obstacles due to damaged roads and bridges.
Initial reports suggested a magnitude 4.4 earthquake triggered the floods on Wednesday morning; however, experts, including those from the United States Geological Survey, clarified that the seismic event was a result of the glacial collapse and debris flow which caused catastrophic downstream flooding.
A glacial collapse, while not formally defined in glaciology, typically involves the detachment of a large mass of ice and rock, producing a highly mobile debris flow. According to Prakash Pokhrel, a geologist with Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, the flood began in the Lhende Khola river, which is connected to the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers—flooding these channels with water levels rising as much as 27 feet within just 30 minutes.
As of Friday morning, the confirmed death toll from the floods had increased to 469, with at least three fatalities reported in the Tibetan region. The identification of the deceased is ongoing. The Kathmandu Post reported that bodies have been discovered far downstream, causing local morgues to exceed capacity. Authorities have begun utilizing academic buildings as temporary morgues to accommodate the deceased. Plans are also underway to assign identification tags to unidentified bodies before burial.
The number of missing individuals has surged past 1,500, with significant numbers being tourists. The Nepalese Department of Tourism indicated that 668 tourists from 34 countries have been unreachable since Wednesday, with many on trekking expeditions. Among them are 177 from India, 90 from the United States, and numerous others from countries including Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Additionally, 100 Chinese nationals are reported missing in connection to the disaster.
Some missing individuals were participating in the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, a prominent Hindu pilgrimage. In Tibet, 558 individuals are unaccounted for, including 260 foreign nationals.
Efforts to locate survivors have been hampered by ongoing challenges. Helicopters are being used to deliver supplies and search for survivors in remote areas popular with trekkers and pilgrims. Al Jazeera reported that extensive road and bridge damage has complicated rescue operations.
Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah is visiting the affected districts to assess the damage. Concurrently, authorities in India are evacuating residents from northern states amidst flooding threats.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang has also visited the site of the mudslides in Tibet to oversee emergency response efforts.
As conditions evolve, Rasuwa district officials reported rising water levels in local rivers. A potential dam lake is overflowing, prompting warnings for residents to seek higher ground. Efforts are underway to move people to safety, with substantial concern about the risk of additional disasters, including further flooding and landslides.
