More than 160 dead and hundreds missing after floods on Nepal-Tibet border

More than 160 people were confirmed dead and hundreds remain missing after severe floods ravaged the Nepal-Tibet border region on Wednesday. Hundreds of tourists, including 400 foreigners, were among those listed as missing, as authorities prepared for additional fatalities and escalating damage. As of Thursday, the death toll had risen to 162. Initial investigations suggested an earthquake may have triggered an avalanche, leading to the floods, according to Nepal's foreign minister Shisir Khanal.

Houses and roads were washed away in Nepal, while Chinese authorities in Tibet expressed concern over "major casualties" as people went missing in Gyirong county following a mudslide that hit a border crossing. River levels were too high for rescue helicopters to operate in Nepal's affected areas of Syapru Besi and Timure in Rasuwa district, home to approximately 50,000 residents.

Footage from the Chinese side of the border showed numerous individuals fleeing, with buildings, vehicles, and bridges swept away by a wall of rock, mud, and water. Television networks aired images of collapsed homes submerged in floodwaters, cars floating downstream, and a metal bridge reduced to rubble. Witnesses told Reuters that entire villages were engulfed by the deluge.

District administrator Narendra Pariyar warned that "there could be heavy casualties or loss of property" and advised residents along the Bhote Koshi river to evacuate to higher ground. Rasuwa health worker Tula Bahadur BK stated, "The settlements next to the river have been completely swept away. Five of my own relatives are missing."

The cause of the flooding remained unclear, though a similar disaster on the same river the previous year was linked to the draining of a glacier lake. China's Xinhua news agency reported that the mudslide occurred on the Nepalese side of the border, impacting Gyirong port in Tibet and disrupting road, communication, and power links in the Shigatse region near the Nepalese-Nepalese border.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for "all-out" search efforts and urged stronger monitoring and early warning systems to prevent secondary disasters.

Nepal's energy ministry reported that 430MW of electricity, around 12 percent of the nation's total hydropower capacity of 3.2GW, was affected. Rescue efforts involved police and military personnel, and Prime Minister Balendra Shah instructed residents in low-lying areas to relocate to safer locations. He urged people living along the river to exercise caution and remain vigilant.

The Bhote Koshi river, originating in Tibet, empties into Nepal's Trishuli river, which eventually flows into India as the Gandak river. Last year's Bhote Koshi flood claimed nine lives, leaving 24 missing, as it destroyed a "friendship bridge" that connected Nepal and China, disrupting trade and transport for months. That disaster was traced to the draining of a supraglacial lake in Tibet, according to a regional climate monitor.