'Major casualties' after mudslide at Tibet-Nepal border

At least eight fatalities have been reported following a devastating mudslide at a Tibetan trade center on China's side of the Nepal-China border. Neighboring Nepal also experienced severe flooding, resulting in the deaths of at least eight more individuals. Rescue efforts are currently underway in both countries, with authorities urging residents near riverbanks to evacuate to safer locations.

Images from the affected regions show the force of the flooding, with houses swept away and trees uprooted. Nepali and Chinese authorities are deploying helicopters and disaster response teams to the impacted areas. The extent of the damage is still being assessed, but the floods and mudslides have caused significant disruption to transportation and power infrastructure.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for urgent rescue operations, emphasizing the need to locate and rescue those missing and to provide prompt medical treatment to the injured. The region is no stranger to such disasters, as monsoon rains in the past have led to frequent floods and landslides across South Asia, with climate change exacerbating their frequency and severity.