A flash flood struck the mountainous border region between Nepal and Tibet, in China, on Wednesday, killing at least 19 people and leaving 384 missing, according to preliminary tolls from authorities in both countries cited by the Reuters and AFP news agencies. The waters destroyed roads, bridges, homes and at least one hydroelectric plant in the Himalayan region.
According to Nepal's Tourism Board, the 384 missing include 291 foreigners, among them 105 Indian citizens. District administrator Narendra Pariyar urged residents along the Bhote Koshi River to move to higher ground, warning that there may be many casualties or loss of property. Nepal's prime minister, Balendra Shah, said police and army units had joined rescue efforts.
The mountainous district of Rasuwa, home to roughly 50,000 people, was among the hardest hit. Nepal army spokesman Raja Ram Basnet said rescue helicopters could not land in the affected areas of Syapru Besi and Timure because the Bhote Koshi River had overflowed, and landings would only be possible once water levels drop. Television footage showed homes destroyed by the current, cars adrift and a metal bridge swept away by the water. Witnesses told Reuters the flood swallowed entire villages.
Landslide also hits the Chinese side
In Gyirong county, in Tibet, a landslide struck a border crossing between the two countries, leaving several people missing, including eight South Korean nationals who were working at a hydroelectric plant. According to China's official Xinhua news agency, the landslide occurred on the Nepalese side and hit a local port, cutting off roads, communications and power supply in the Shigatse region. Chinese authorities said they feared major loss of life.
Health worker Tula Bahadur BK, a Rasuwa resident, described the scene to Reuters:
There is devastation everywhere. Settlements near the river have been completely destroyed. Five of my relatives are missing.
The cause of the flood has not been confirmed, but a similar flood on the same river last year was later attributed to the sudden draining of a glacial lake, a phenomenon common in Himalayan mountain regions affected by glacier melt.