Catastrophic flash floods triggered by a glacial collapse have swept through Nepal and Tibet, killing at least 356 people and leaving over 1,500 missing as of Thursday, including hundreds of foreign tourists. The floods, which began Wednesday, obliterated villages, destroyed infrastructure, and cut off access to affected areas in the mountainous border region. Nepal’s Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts were particularly hard hit, with reports of entire villages being wiped out and bodies recovered hundreds of miles downstream. Rescue efforts, hampered by damaged roads and bridges, are focused on locating survivors and delivering aid via helicopter.
Among the missing are at least 667 tourists in Nepal, including 288 Indians, 65 Americans, 51 Malaysians, 33 Britons, and 25 Canadians. Chinese state media reports 558 missing in Tibet, including 260 foreign nationals. Many of the missing were pilgrims traveling to Kailash Mansarovar, a sacred site revered by Hindus and Buddhists. The U.S. State Department has pledged $500,000 in aid and deployed a disaster response advisor, while India is assisting with rescue operations.
Reports indicate a glacial collapse initiated the floods, with surveillance footage showing a massive surge of water and debris crashing through the border crossing at Gyirong Port. The scale of destruction is unprecedented, according to aid workers familiar with the region, even after Nepal’s experience with the 2015 earthquake. While the death toll in Nepal has reached 353, with three reported deaths in Tibet, the true extent of casualties remains unknown as search and rescue operations continue. The Nepalese government is coordinating with international partners, but access to remote areas remains a significant challenge.
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