The day so far
Keely Aouga
At least 157 people have been killed and hundreds, including foreign tourists, are missing after deadly flash floods on the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday. An avalanche of ice and rock triggered massive flash floods that swept through parts of Nepal, causing widespread damage to villages and infrastructure.
Among the missing are 33 British nationals, with hundreds of foreign nationals still unaccounted for. “A preliminary agency-wise record received from tourism and travel companies has identified 384 travellers, including 291 foreign nationals and 93 Nepali nationals, who were reported missing from the affected areas,” said the Nepal Tourism Board, noting authorities were working to verify the travellers’ whereabouts.
New analysis indicates there was no earthquake prior to flash flooding, according to the US Geological Survey. Despite initial reports of this natural disaster being preceded by an earthquake, further analysis indicates that a landslide preceded the powerful flash flooding and there was no earthquake, the USGS said.
Experts warned of a possible second flood. “With a blockage still lodged upstream on the Nepal-China border river, authorities warn a second flood may occur,” Qianggong Zhang, head of climate and environmental risks, at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, said in comments reported by Reuters.
Chinese president Xi Jinping urged “all-out” search efforts for the missing, as well as stronger monitoring and early warning systems to prevent secondary disasters. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said authorities had deployed at least 574 rescuers to the Gyirong land crossing.
Nepal’s PM urged the nation to “stand together” after the disaster. Balendra Shah urged the Himalayan nation to stand united in a post on social media: “Please be patient. The government takes full responsibility for your rescue, treatment, food and shelter. In times of such a disaster, we all need to stand together.”
Key events
Nine South Koreans missing after flood, says government
UN teams sending flood aid to Nepal, Guterres says
WHO ‘stands in solidarity’ with Nepal, says director-general, and offers aid
Red Cross allocates funding to support Nepal in response to flooding
Nepal search and rescue efforts to continue overnight
India ‘stands with Nepal’ in flood relief efforts, says minister
The day so far
Police say 157 bodies recovered
New analysis indicates there was no earthquake prior to flash flooding, says US Geological Survey
Tell us: have you been affected by the flash floods on the Nepal-Tibet border?
33 Britons among the missing in Nepal
Hundreds of tourists among missing, including more than 140 from India
China says at least three dead and 265 missing in mudslide in Tibet’s Gyirong
Nepal PM urges nation to ‘stand together’ after deadly flood
Ninety-five people reported to have died, police say
Fifty-five people reported to have died, according to local media
Twenty-two bodies recovered after Nepal-Tibet flash flood, police say
Twelve UK citizens among tourists missing after flash flooding
Hundreds missing, including foreign tourists, after deadly flash floods in Nepal
Verified videos of the disaster showed dozens of people swept away at the Nepal-Tibet border, with authorities on both sides fearing far higher casualties and huge destruction.
Houses, roads and power projects were washed away in Nepal, while officials in Tibet said they feared “major casualties” after a mudslide hit a border land crossing in the county of Gyirong.
“It was a huge gush of mud coming straight towards us,” said Keshav Prasad Baral, a 68-year-old survivor, who was being treated at a small hospital. “As it got closer, it kept rising higher and higher.
When I saw it enter our home, I tried to grab my wife’s hand and take her to the terrace. But she was swept away by the mud.
Four or five hours later, a helicopter came to rescue me. My wife is still somewhere beneath the mud. She’s gone
Another survivor, also quoted by Reuters, described being saved by clinging to a mango tree as he watched the house where he had been working disappear.
Nine South Koreans missing after flood, says government
Nine South Koreans working on a hydropower plant are missing and 10 others stranded after the deadly flash flood, South Korea’s foreign ministry is saying.
The workers were employed by Korea Energy and Doosan Enerbility Co, the ministry said, adding that Nepal had deployed a rescue team to search the affected area.
South Korean foreign minister Cho Hyun held an emergency meeting with government officials and said a team of police, emergency services and foreign ministry officials would fly to Kathmandu on Thursday, the ministry said late on Wednesday.
Cho planned to hold a phone call with his Nepalese counterpart on Thursday, it said, cited by Reuters.
Another 10 South Korean workers affiliated with Doosan Enerbility were stranded in the area and awaiting a helicopter sent by Nepalese authorities to evacuate them.
UN teams sending flood aid to Nepal, Guterres says
United Nations chief António Guterres has said UN teams and partners are mobilising supplies and personnel in Nepal to support communities affected by the deadly flood.
“My solidarity is with all those affected, he said on X.
Among those missing are 34 Australians, Reuters reports.
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson told AAP they were liaising with local authorities as well as tour operators and stood ready to provide consular assistance.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to those affected by the significant flooding in Nepal and Tibet, China,” the spokesperson said.
“We are aware of a number of Australians in the area and Australian officials are urgently working to confirm their welfare.”
Dozens of Australian tourists are reportedly missing in the deadly flash floods that swept through the Nepal-Tibet border, as the Australian government says it is urgently working to confirm their welfare.
According to the Nepal Tourist Board, as reported by Press Association, at least 403 people have been reported missing, with 341 foreign nationals unaccounted for.
According to the tourist board, 203 of the missing are male and 200 female.
Australia’s foreign minister, Penny Wong, said: “The loss of life and destruction caused by flash flooding in Nepal and China is devastating. Our thoughts are with the loved ones of those killed or missing and all affected by this disaster.
“Dfat officials are urgently working to confirm the welfare of Australians in the area.”
Sunil Sharma, a tourism board spokesman, said 133 of those missing were from India on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, sacred site for Hindus.
Also among the missing were 47 people from the US, 34 from Australia, and 24 from Canada, he added.
Among the missing British nationals are three men aged 65, 64 and 52, and seven women aged 44, 47, 51, 60, 63, 63 and 65, according to travel logs obtained by the Press Association.
Nepal police have so far confirmed a total of 33 British nationals are unaccounted for in the country.
The US state department is aware of Americans impacted by the floods in Nepal and is closely tracking the situation and stands ready to provide assistance.
The embassy is working closely with local tour agencies and local authorities to assist Americans in the affected areas.
US citizens in the affected areas have been urged to monitor local news, follow the emergency instructions provided by local authorities, and enroll in STEP.state.gov to receive important emergency information.
US citizens who need urgent assistance related to the Rasuwa flooding should call the US Embassy at +977-1-423-4000. For local search-and-rescue assistance or call Nepal’s disaster hotline at 1234.
Official figures suggest at this stage that at least 291 foreigners are among the missing.
Hikers and climbers from around the world flock to the Himalayan nation to test themselves on some of the world’s highest peaks, Mount Everest among them.
Here are the latest numbers:
– India –
According to the Nepal Tourism Board, 142 nationals from neighbouring India are missing.
The missing Indians were in the country with three travel agencies: Samrat Tours + Travels, Leaf Holiday and Himalayan Glacier.
– Ukraine –
Ukraine’s foreign ministry said Nepal’s Tourist Police had informed them that they considered 53 Ukrainian nationals to be missing.
They included a group of 46 Ukrainian tourists with whom the authorities in Nepal had lost contact, the ministry added.
– Malaysia –
Seventeen Malaysians travelling with Fishtail Tours + Travels were missing in the floods, the board said.
Malaysia’s foreign ministry said its embassy in Kathmandu had received reports from travel agencies suggesting they had lost contact with 11 Malaysian nationals believed to be in the Rasuwa district.
– United Kingdom –
Twelve UK citizens with the Alpine Eco Trek agency are unaccounted for, the tourism board said.
– South Korea –
South Korean officials confirmed eight hydropower workers are out of contact in the Rasuwa district following the floods.
– South Africa –
Four South Africans travelling with the same Alpine Eco Trek agency as the missing British citizens were missing, according to the tourism board.
– United States –
Three US citizens, also with Fishtail Tours + Travels, are unaccounted for, the board said.
– Portugal –
A Portuguese woman is missing in the floods, the country’s foreign ministry told AFP.
– Australia –
One Australian with Kathmandu Holiday Tours + Travel is missing, according to the board.
– Netherlands –
A Dutch citizen travelling with the same company as the missing Australian is also unaccounted for, the board added.
– Italy –
The Italian foreign ministry said two of its nationals and their guide are stranded upstream from a landslide but are being helped.
The ministry is aware of 90 Italian citizens currently in Nepal and Tibet, but does not know if any might have been affected.
– Nationalities unconfirmed –
Several of the tour groups also announced missing foreigners whose nationalities had not been confirmed.
They included 77 with Trekkers Society, 26 with Kailash Journey and eight with Richa Tours + Travels.
– Nepal –
The Nepali tourism board also announced that, in addition to the unaccounted-for foreigners, a total of 93 Nepalis were missing.
Canada’s PM Mark Carney said “Canada stands ready to provide support.”
He wrote on X: “The flash floods along Nepal’s Bhotekoshi River are absolutely devastating.
“Canadians are thinking of all those in distress right now, those who have lost a loved one, and all those who are still waiting for answers.
Our government is closely following the situation and asking all Canadians in the region to register with the ROCA system as soon as possible.”
China has activated its emergency response with its armed forces initiating “full-scale rescue operations” after the floods and mudslide caused “severe casualties at China’s border port of Gyirong”.
Its response included 30,000 “relief supplies” including tents, stoves, clothing, quilts, and fold beds in addition to 120m yuan (around £13m) for post-disaster recovery.
Climate experts at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development said an avalanche from a glacier likely caused Wednesday’s flash flood.
“Hydrological observations indicate the exceptional speed and magnitude of the flood wave,” they said in an emailed statement, noting that water levels at one point on the Trishuli river rose by as much as nine meters (27 feet) over half an hour.
The Lhende Khola River, a tributary of the Bhotekoshi, had maximum flooding, they said.
“The Lhende Khola has flooded twice in 14 months, this time triggered by an ice rock avalanche from a glacier on the Nepal side that blocked the river and released a sudden surge downstream,” said Saswata Sanyal, a disaster risk reduction specialist at the climate research group.
He noted the importance of early warnings in “a warming Himalaya.”
The region saw similar flash floods in August last year, when a glacial lake in Tibet overflowed because of high temperatures. Nine people were killed, and critical infrastructure, including a bridge connecting Nepal and China, was damaged.
WHO ‘stands in solidarity’ with Nepal, says director-general, and offers aid
Keely Aouga
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it “stands in solidarity” with Nepal and is working closely with Nepal’s Ministry of Health to assess Nepal’s urgent relief and resource needs.
Director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X: “My thoughts are with the people impacted by the flash flood and mudslide that hit the Nepal-China border this morning.
“@WHONepal has mobilized and dispatched essential emergency medical supplies, and provide field-level care to the affected communities.”
Further, the WHO shared in a statement: “As part of the immediate response, WHO has mobilized and dispatched essential emergency medical supplies, including medicines and multipurpose tents, to help sustain the delivery of critical health services and provide field-level care to affected communities.”
As the full scope of damage continues to be assessed, “WHO remains committed to supporting the Government of Nepal’s response and recovery efforts,” the statement adds.
Red Cross allocates funding to support Nepal in response to flooding
Keely Aouga
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is releasing nearly 1m Swiss francs ($1.2m USD) in emergency funding to support Nepals’s response to the severe flooding disaster.
In a statement, the IFRC shared that funding will supporting the Nepal Red Cross with emergency funding, operational coordination and technical support.
“The priority now is to reach affected communities and get assistance to people who have lost their homes, suffered injuries or have been cut off,” said the IFRC head of delegation for Nepal, David Fisher.
The release of emergency funding means the Nepal Red Cross can act immediately while assessments continue. We are closely monitoring the situation and are ready to provide additional support if needs increase. We will not forget support for their long-term recovery either, since entire villages and market areas have been wiped out.
Nepal search and rescue efforts to continue overnight
Keely Aouga
The office of Nepal’s prime minister said search and rescue efforts by the country’s army will continue overnight, the BBC reported.
According to a statement obtained by BBC, 1,697 personnel have been deployed, while 656 have been kept on standby for additional operations.
A large number of people stranded above Timure will be evacuated by air on Thursday morning, the statement adds.
