Glacier Collapse May Have Triggered Nepal-Tibet Flood Disaster, Says China

Beijing, Aug 28: China has suggested that a high-altitude glacier collapse in Nepal may have caused the devastating flash flood that hit the Nepal-Tibet border, resulting in hundreds of deaths and widespread destruction. The death count from the flood-related aftermath has surpassed 547, with Nepal's authorities issuing a new warning after water levels in the Bhotekoshi River surged.

China reported five fatalities and 558 people, including 260 foreigners, still missing following the flash floods that struck a port along the China-Nepal border in Tibet. Preliminary findings from Chinese and Nepalese experts and institutions indicate that the mudslide was triggered by a high-altitude glacier collapse in Nepal.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated, "Experts and official institutions from China and Nepal have made preliminary assessments on the cause of the disaster. According to their analysis, the disaster may have been triggered by the collapse of a high-altitude glacier in Nepal." The incident highlights the consensus between Beijing and Kathmandu regarding the cause of the disaster, which wreaked havoc on settlements, roads, bridges, and hydropower infrastructure.

Scientists are investigating how a potential glacial collapse and ice-rock avalanche could have led to the catastrophic flash floods along Nepal's Bhotekoshi River, with early assessments suggesting that debris may have blocked the Lhende River, forming a landslide dam that subsequently broke, causing the floods. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority has identified an ice-and-rock avalanche as the leading explanation, per the Kathmandu Post.

Chinese officials have evacuated over 1,000 people, including 555 tourists, from Gyirong County near the Tibet-Nepal border, with no tourists stranded at present, according to state-run Xinhua news agency. President Xi Jinping conveyed condolences to Nepalese President Ram Chandra Poudel over the tragedy, and China pledged emergency aid to the disaster-struck region and will carry out international rescue cooperation.