Before and after: Nepal-Tibet's flood destruction
Satellite imagery over the Nepal-Tibet areas hit by floods show buildings, bridges, and homes completely wiped from the map.
The Nepal-Tibet floods have left a trail of devastation, with satellite imagery revealing the extent of the destruction. The Rasuwagadhi border point between Nepal and Tibet, once bustling with life, is now nothing more than a shell of its former self. Multi-storey buildings and surrounding infrastructure have been completely obliterated.
In an image captured in April 2024, the border point and several large buildings, including a basketball court, are conspicuously absent. The aftermath shows the area reduced to bedrock, a stark contrast to the scene captured in October 2023.
The disaster, triggered by a Himalayan glacier breaking off and crashing into the river below, has claimed at least 392 lives, with hundreds still missing, including at least 39 Australians. The flash flooding surged up the sloping terrain for at least 2.5 kilometers, overwhelming low-lying areas and sweeping away entire villages.
The village of Syapru Besi, once a thriving community, has been entirely washed away, leaving only mud and debris. Bridges that once spanned the Trishuli River, a crucial link for accessing the area, have vanished, along with the structures and vegetation surrounding them. Accessing this region to search for survivors is now an arduous task, given the extent of the destruction.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
