At least 95 people have died and 384 tourists have been reported missing after a massive flood swept through Nepal’s northern Rasuwa district near the Chinese border, authorities said on Wednesday.
The Nepal Tourism Board said those missing include 291 foreign nationals and 93 Nepali citizens. Americans, Indians, an Australian, Malaysians and Britons were among those reported unaccounted for, although authorities were still working to confirm their whereabouts.
The disaster struck around Syabrubesi, an important gateway to the Langtang trekking region and a route used by pilgrims travelling towards Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar.
Nepal Police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle confirmed that the death toll had climbed to 95, while 28 police officers were also reported missing.
Powerful torrents of mud, water and debris swept through mountain valleys, destroying buildings and damaging roads and other infrastructure.
Images released by Nepal Police showed floodwaters carrying large amounts of debris through affected communities, while photographs from the area showed buildings partly buried in mud.
“We do not exactly know the extent of damage, but the flood is big, and it could have damaged many settlements,” Kafle told AFP.
He said authorities had advised residents living near rivers to move to safer locations and had deployed available resources to areas affected by the disaster.
Power and Roads Severely Affected
The Nepal Army has deployed helicopters and disaster-response teams to assist with search-and-rescue operations.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah also called an emergency meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority to review the situation and coordinate the response.
“Work has started to take necessary steps in coordination with the medical team, scouts, and Red Cross,” Shah said in a social media post.
The flooding has also caused major damage to Nepal’s electricity infrastructure.
The Nepal Electricity Authority said approximately 430 megawatts of power-generation capacity, including hydropower and solar facilities, had been affected.
“The disaster has damaged the production, transmission and distribution facilities of the Authority,” it said, adding that electricity supplies had been disrupted.
Several highways were also shut after the flooding, making it more difficult for rescue teams to reach affected communities and deliver relief supplies.
Rescue Operations Continue Amid Fears of More Flooding
The disaster extended to areas near Nepal’s border with China, where Chinese state media also reported major casualties following a mudslide at Gyirong Port on the Tibetan side.
State television footage showed fast-moving water carrying tree branches and debris while flooding roads in the area.
Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered an “all-out” rescue operation, directing authorities to search for missing people, treat the injured and take steps to minimise casualties.
Traffic authorities in Tibet’s Shigatse also warned that roads in the region faced the risk of mudslides and were unsafe for travel.
Nepali remote-sensing analyst Sarthak Shrestha said an initial assessment suggested that a rock-and-ice avalanche may have blocked the Lhende River in Nepal, potentially triggering the devastating floods.
Authorities have also warned of another possible flood because of a suspected blockage upstream along the river near the Nepal-China border.
Qianggong Zhang, head of climate and environmental risks at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, urged authorities to remain alert to the possibility of a second flood.
Monsoon rains between June and September frequently trigger floods and landslides across South Asia. Scientists have also warned that climate change is contributing to more frequent and intense extreme weather events.
The European Union has activated its Copernicus satellite monitoring system to help map the affected areas and support rescue and recovery efforts.
“Copernicus has been activated to help map the affected areas in Nepal and support the response on the ground,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
“We stand ready to mobilise further European assistance.”
Rescue teams remained on the ground searching for missing people as authorities continued efforts to assess the full extent of the destruction.
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