No fewer than 160 people have been killed, and 403 others declared missing after massive flash floods and landslides struck Nepal’s northern border with Tibet on Wednesday, leaving several settlements devastated.
Nepali police said they had recovered 157 bodies following what they described as “devastating floods”, while Chinese state media reported three deaths and 265 people missing on the Chinese side of the border.
The disaster has also left hundreds of tourists unaccounted for, including 341 foreign nationals.
Nepal’s tourism ministry said 403 tourists were reported missing several hours after the disaster struck.
The missing foreigners include 142 Indians, as well as nationals of Australia, Britain, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea and the United States.
According to reports, floods and landslides swept through communities in Nepal’s northern Rasuwa district, near the border with China, burying buildings under mud and debris and cutting off roads.
Rescuers described the destruction as extensive, with David Fisher, Nepal head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), saying entire villages and market areas had been “wiped out”.
The IFRC said it was dispatching emergency supplies, including blankets, first aid kits, stretchers and body bags, to support relief efforts.
Surveillance footage also showed dozens of people running for safety as a massive wall of debris crashed into the Chinese side of the border, sweeping away lorries and buses.
Nepali police images also showed floodwaters surging through rivers and carrying away buildings, while other photographs showed the upper floor of a building protruding from thick layers of mud.
The Nepal Army has deployed helicopters to the affected areas and rescued scores of people, while residents living close to rivers in high-risk areas have been ordered to move to safer locations.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah pledged an extensive government response to the disaster.
“The pain and loss you have suffered is not small,” Shah said in a statement shared on social media.
“But I want to assure you that you are not alone in this difficult time — the state is with you with all its means and resources.”
Local residents have described harrowing scenes following the disaster.
Raju Bhadel, 56, said his brother-in-law called him in tears after their family home was swept away.
“Three family members were rescued, but his brother is still missing,” he said.
The exact cause of the flooding remains unclear, although authorities believe a landslide may have blocked a river and triggered the devastating surge downstream.
Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal said an earthquake may have triggered a landslide, which subsequently blocked a river and caused water to rush downstream.
The country’s disaster management authority said satellite data indicated that a “snow-rock landslide” on the Nepal-China border may have caused the flood.
Sarthak Shrestha, a remote sensing and geo-information analyst at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), said a preliminary assessment suggested that a rock-and-ice avalanche occurred on the Nepali side, blocking the Lhende River.
