Catastrophic torrential rains flooding and landslides hit the border area on Wednesday Nepal and China, killing at least 160 people, while over 1.300 people are missing. Rescue teams are continuing their search for survivors, and a large number of foreign nationals are among the missing, world agencies report.
The area along the Bota Kosi and Trishuli rivers suffered the most, where a huge amount of water, stones and mud washed away houses, vehicles, bridges and parts of roads in just a few moments. Footage from the field shows a torrent that penetrated like a wall of water through the settlements and carried away everything before it.
So far, 157 bodies have been found on the Nepalese side, while Chinese authorities have reported at least three more victims in the Tibet area. At the same time, about 400 people are missing, among them a large number of foreign citizens.
Photo: AP Photo/Niranjan ShresthaConsequences of the disaster
Missing foreign tourists
The area of Rasuwa, along the border with Tibet, which is on a popular route for pilgrims and tourists traveling to the holy Mount Kailash, has been particularly affected.
The flash flood also hit the town of Sjabrubesi, which is the starting point of popular trekking routes. The Nepal Tourism Organization on Wednesday initially said there were 403 missing tourists, including 142 Indians, 47 Americans, 33 Britons and 24 Canadians, as well as people from Malaysia, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Korea, South Africa, Italy, and Nepalese travelers.
A huge torrent swept away entire settlements
According to the first estimates, the disaster was caused by a large landslide, that is, an avalanche of ice and stones that blocked the flow of the Lhende River, a tributary of the Bota Kosi. When the barrier gave way, a huge amount of water and sediment rushed downstream towards Nepal, causing devastating flash floods.
The US Geological Survey subsequently announced that the previously reported seismic activity was not a classic earthquake, but the result of a glacier collapse and a massive flow of rocks and ice. Experts warn that it is possible that warming and melting glaciers contributed to the instability of the terrain.
The disaster severely damaged the infrastructure. Numerous bridges and roads were destroyed, and according to preliminary data, several hydroelectric power plants were also damaged, which caused problems with the supply of electricity.
Rescuers are searching for the missing.
Nepal's army and police have deployed helicopters and emergency teams as rescuers try to reach areas cut off after roads and bridges collapsed.
The search is further complicated by bad weather conditions, high water levels and large amounts of mud and stones. There is also fear of new floods if large amounts of water are retained upstream behind the remaining blockages.
The disaster also hit the Chinese side of the border. In the Jirong area, in Tibet, a landslide caused great destruction, and the Chinese authorities reported hundreds of people missing.
Due to the scale of the disaster and the large number of missing, the final balance of victims is not yet known and it is expected that it could increase further.
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