At least 362 people have died after a glacier collapse sent water, ice, rock and mud through the Nepal-Tibet border region, while more than 1,300 people remain missing. Rescue teams face a further threat after debris blocked a river and formed a rising lake that authorities warn is at risk of bursting.
Nepal Police said on Thursday that 359 people had died in the country. China has confirmed three deaths in Tibet.
The figures have risen throughout the day as search teams reach settlements and recover bodies downstream.
More than 800 people remain missing in Nepal, while Chinese state broadcaster CCTV has reported 558 missing in Tibet, including 260 foreign nationals. Authorities have not established whether some people appear in figures reported on both sides of the border.
One Finnish citizen is among those missing in Nepal, Finland’s Foreign Ministry told Yle and Helsingin Sanomat. Around 30 Finnish travellers had filed travel notifications for Nepal.
The floods struck on Wednesday morning after a mass of glacier ice and rock collapsed in the Himalayas. The US Geological Survey said the collapse produced seismic signals that authorities initially interpreted as an earthquake.
Ice and rock travelled into the Lhende Khola river system in Tibet before the flood moved towards Nepal through the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development said the Trishuli rose by as much as nine metres within 30 minutes at one downstream location.
Chinese government geologist Guo Zhaocheng told state media that the ice-avalanche debris flow travelled at about 50 metres per second.
“That left people almost no time to react,” Guo said.
The flood struck the Gyirong border crossing, roads, bridges, settlements and hydropower facilities. The crossing serves tourists travelling between Nepal and Tibet and handles more than 30 per cent of China-Nepal trade, according to the BBC.
The disaster occurred during the pilgrimage season for Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar in Tibet. Hundreds of foreign tourists were travelling through the border region.
India’s Foreign Ministry said 288 Indian nationals remained missing in Nepal and about 200 were stranded in Tibet. Nepalese figures also list missing citizens from the United States, Britain, Australia, Malaysia, Canada, South Korea and several European countries.
Rescuers have used helicopters to reach communities cut off after roads and bridges were destroyed. The Nepal Army said it rescued more than 350 people on Thursday, including 50 foreign nationals. Military facilities in Trishuli have been turned into rescue bases.
A new danger emerged on Thursday when Nepal’s disaster authority said debris from the collapse had blocked a river and created a lake. Satellite analysis showed its water level continuing to rise. Authorities told residents and rescue workers to stay away from river banks.
Chinese authorities have issued a similar warning over a dammed lake near Gyirong. State media reported that the lake held about two million cubic metres of water on Thursday morning, with another three million cubic metres expected to enter during the following three days.
The Red Cross has sent emergency supplies by helicopter, including drinking water, shelter materials, first-aid equipment and hygiene kits. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies allocated 997,000 Swiss francs for the response.
Britain pledged £5 million, while the United Nations allocated $2 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund. India has sent relief supplies, and the United States announced $500,000 in assistance.
Scientists have linked the immediate disaster to the glacier collapse rather than an earthquake. They have not established the precise reason the glacier failed. Researchers cited by Reuters said rising temperatures, glacier retreat and changes in mountain permafrost increase instability across parts of the Himalayas.
HT
