At least 72 people were killed and hundreds more reported missing after devastating flash floods swept through northern Nepal on Wednesday, destroying communities and infrastructure near the country’s border with China.
Footage shows thick mud and flood debris covering parts of a river valley in Rasuwa District, with farmland and settlements visible across the surrounding hillsides.
Hundreds Reported Missing
The Nepal Tourism Board said 384 tourists and travellers were out of contact in Rasuwa, including 291 foreign nationals and 93 Nepali citizens. The preliminary list includes travellers from India, Britain, the United States, Malaysia and several other countries.
The powerful floodwaters surged through the Bhote Koshi River corridor on Wednesday morning, hitting Timure and Syafrubesi and destroying roads and bridges leading to the Rasuwagadhi border crossing.
Border Areas Also Hit
The disaster also affected the border area around Gyirong. Chinese authorities said a mudslide caused major casualties and left people unaccounted for at Gyirong Port at around 10:30am.
China’s Ministry of Emergency Management deployed hundreds of firefighters and engineering rescue personnel, along with emergency equipment and relief supplies.
Nepalese authorities warned people to stay away from riverbanks along the Bhote Koshi, Trishuli and Narayani rivers as rescue teams worked to reach the worst-hit areas.
Possible Earthquake Link Investigated
An earthquake was also reported in the Himalayan region on Wednesday. Early reports suggested it may have triggered an ice-and-rock avalanche, blocking a river before a huge surge of water burst downstream. Authorities were still working to establish the precise chain of events.
Officials stressed that the missing-person figures were preliminary and were being checked with travel agencies, guides, local authorities and security agencies. They urged people not to assume those listed were dead until their whereabouts had been confirmed.
CGTN , via Viory.Video
More from Wake Up Singapore:
Myanmar villagers plead for medicine and clean water as floods swallow homes
Flash floods swamp homes and cut roads in northern Thailand after overnight downpour
One dead, three missing as flash floods rip through eastern China
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