Catastrophic floods have hit Nepal after a large landslide blocked a river and caused a huge wave of water. More than 160 people were killed, over 1.300 are missing, including a large number of foreign tourists. Rescue teams continue their search in hard-to-reach areas
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 horrific scene of severe flooding at the Rasuwagadhi border point on the Nepal-Tibet border.
The strong currents wreaked havoc across the area, leaving 400 pilgrims and 105 Indian tourists also missing in the Nepal floods.#NepalFloods#Nepal#Death#FlashFlood#Floodspic.twitter.com/dwAX12Gj7l
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.
Of all the videos of the Nepal flooding that I have seen so far, this one might be the worst.
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.
🔴 Les images en provenance du #Nepal sont terrifiantes. Le séisme d'une magnitude de 4,4 qui s'est produced la nuit dernière au Tibet a déclenché des #avalanches of ice and #slips de terrain. Ils ont formed des embâcles sur les rivières de la région qui ont fini par… pic.twitter.com/XIdlQ76gii
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.
Only in August: Save three thousand dinars on the annual subscription to the digital edition of "Vremena"!Take advantage of the discount hereand support independent journalism.
What is happening in the country and the world, what is in the newspapers and how to pass the time?
Every Wednesday at noon In between arrives by email. It's a pretty solid newsletter, so sign up!
The global race in the development of artificial intelligence has boosted Chinese exports. Increasing dependence on foreign markets is straining Beijing's relations with its trading partners
New negotiations between Ukraine, the USA and Russia are planned for November 10 and 11 in Abu Dhabi. This is the first meeting in this format after nine months
At the moment when the institutions of the Republic are destroyed, when Vučić's octopus is still alive, when people are disgusted by the injustice and the stench left behind by the Essenes regime, we have, as Machiavelli said, only civic virtue as the fuel with which we can return to the beginning
The four independent members of REM are an example of perseverance and civic responsibility. Rodoljub Šabić even, upon leaving the premises of REM, after the sentencing of the Informer, experienced that the Essenes insulted him, hit him with their hands and feet. But that too will soon be over
Vučić pardoned the batterers and Dijana Hrkalović. The election winners should abolish the sultan's power that allows one man to run afoul of the entire judicial system
The archive of the weekly Vreme includes all our digital editions, since the very beginning of our work. All issues can be downloaded in PDF format, by purchasing the digital edition, or you can read all available texts from the selected issue.
