Tourist accidentally films Nepal glacier collapse linked to Gyirong Port mudslide; China expert confirms location: Video
A glacier collapse in Nepal caused a devastating torrent of rocks and debris, resulting in the deaths of 626 people in Nepal and seven in Tibet. A tourist in China captured the moment of the collapse, which was confirmed by a local scientist.
On Wednesday, a massive avalanche from a collapsing glacier in Nepal triggered a deadly mudslide that swept through mountain river systems, leaving at least 626 people dead in Nepal and seven in China's Tibet. A tourist inadvertently captured the event while recording the landscape in Gyirong County, located in China's Xizang Autonomous Region.
China's Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment confirmed the location of the glacier collapse in the video matches remote-sensing imagery, suggesting it was the cause of the mudslide at Gyirong Port.
Over 3,000 people remain unaccounted for, with approximately 2,426 in Nepal and at least 554 in Tibet's Gyirong County. Many of the missing are foreign nationals, including Indian Hindu pilgrims. The flooding disaster was triggered by the Nepal glacier collapse, sending a torrent of rocks, ice, mud, and debris through the mountain river systems. Nepal declined foreign search and rescue assistance, prioritizing its own security forces, who are more familiar with the local terrain and conditions.
The government estimates reconstruction efforts will cost between $4 billion and $5 billion. Authorities are mobilizing around 15,000 personnel for rescue missions and deploying special operations teams to locate missing persons. Nepal temporarily halted search and rescue operations due to adverse weather conditions, focusing on arranging land transport to bring rescued pilgrims to Kathmandu.
Three days after the flooding, some bodies being recovered had decomposed beyond recognition, to be buried following legal formalities. Relatives gathered outside a hospital in Kathmandu to identify missing family members from photographs displayed at the facility. Only seven of the 49 bodies brought to the hospital had been identified.
In Tibet's Gyirong County, seven of the 49 bodies have been identified, with authorities warning the first barrier lake formed after the disaster is shrinking but could remain unstable, and over 100 glacial lakes in the region pose risks. President Xi Jinping chaired a meeting in Beijing to prioritize disaster response and international cooperation.
Gyirong border port, strategically important to China's Belt and Road network, saw the development of logistics facilities and parking areas over the past decade.
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