Floods in Nepal and Tibet: Death toll exceeds 350, over 1,300 missing

15:57

A massive glacial collapse at the border between Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday morning unleashed a wall of water, mud, and rocks across Himalayan communities, killing at least 350 people and leaving more than 1,300 missing, including hundreds of foreign tourists and pilgrims from around twenty countries.

Rescue teams were scouring debris-strewn valleys on Thursday as the scale of the disaster—one of the worst natural catastrophes in Nepal's recent history—continued to unfold. Nepal's Foreign Minister, Shisir Khanal, described it as "one of the worst natural disasters we have experienced in recent memory."

A mudflow at 50 meters per second

The disaster struck around 8:40 AM local time on Wednesday when a high-altitude ice avalanche triggered a torrent of debris that, according to Chinese government geologist Guo Zhaocheng, traveled at about 50 meters per second over more than 20 kilometers, leaving residents with almost no time to react. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) confirmed that the event was not an earthquake, as initially reported, but a glacial collapse of magnitude 5.2 that generated seismic energy as rocks and ice shattered in the valley below.

The torrent surged into the Trishuli River valley, a popular corridor for trekkers and pilgrims connecting Kathmandu to Lhasa, sweeping away homes, roads, bridges, and hydropower infrastructure. Nepalese police reported that at least 270 bodies had been recovered in Nepal, with local media suggesting the death toll could reach 359. In Gyirong County in Tibet, three deaths were confirmed, and 558 people were reported missing, including 260 foreign nationals, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

"Everything is annihilated," said Omkar Joshi, a Nepalese customs officer rescued from a hill in the border town of Timure. "It’s a vast graveyard. All that remains is sand and gravel, soaked in the blood of the victims."

Hundreds of foreigners missing

Among those missing in Nepal were 288 Indians, 63 Americans, 51 Malaysians, 34 Australians, 33 Britons, and 25 Canadians, according to police and Nepalese tourism authorities. Many were Hindu pilgrims returning from Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred site for several religions. Indian spiritual leader Sadhguru stated in a video message from Tibet that 77 pilgrims from his Isha Foundation were at the immigration office at the Nepal-China border when the floods struck.

More than 5,000 military personnel and police have been deployed in Nepal, using helicopters to drop supplies provided by India and evacuate survivors from communities cut off from the world due to destroyed infrastructure. Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited Gyirong on Thursday to oversee rescue operations, indicating that Beijing considers this disaster a major national priority.

A secondary disaster looms

Authorities warned that a dam lake formed by debris upstream at the Nepal-China border poses a persistent threat. Three million cubic meters of additional water are expected to spill over in the next three days, with peak flow anticipated around September 1. The International Center for Integrated Mountain Development highlighted that this is the second flooding event in the Lhende Khola hydrological system in 14 months, warning that warming in the Himalayas necessitates urgent establishment of early warning systems.

The UN has released $2 million in emergency funds, the U.S. State Department has pledged $500,000 and dispatched a disaster management advisor, while the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has sent $1.4 million in emergency aid. Pope Leo XIV offered his prayers for the victims in a telegram sent on Thursday.

Sagar Pandey, director of a Himalayan tourism operator who surveyed the area by helicopter, described the extent of the devastation: "There is nothing left of human construction, no homes. Everything is flattened. So anyone who was in the hotel, the restaurant, or in a car—I believe everyone perished."