Nepal flash floods have killed at least 20 people, with around 400 missing, as Rasuwa and neighbouring Tibet suffer major destruction.
Nepal flash floods have left at least 20 people dead and around 400 missing, including 291 foreign tourists, according to the latest foreign media reports.
The disaster struck Nepal’s mountainous Rasuwa district near the Chinese and Tibetan border, sweeping through villages and damaging highways, bridges, communications systems and major hydropower infrastructure.
Across the border, authorities in Tibet also reported major casualties and missing people after a mudslide struck the Gyirong area and disrupted a major crossing between China and Nepal.
Initial reports put the death toll in Nepal at eight. Later foreign media reports raised that figure first to 18 and subsequently to 20 as rescue operations continued.
Authorities have warned that the number of casualties could rise further.
Nepal Flash Floods Hit Rasuwa Without Warning
Some of the worst damage occurred around Syapru Besi and Timure in Rasuwa, a mountainous district with a population of about 50,000.
Floodwaters were initially too high for rescue helicopters to land in the affected areas.
District administrator Narendra Pariyar warned that the scale of the damage remained uncertain.
“There could be heavy casualties or loss of property,” Pariyar said. “But I cannot say for sure now.”
Authorities urged communities along the Bhote Koshi River to immediately move to higher ground.
Nearby villages and infrastructure project sites were reportedly swept away as the water surged downstream.
“It all came suddenly,” Onlinekhabar quoted one witness as saying.
“We heard a loud sound, like a volcano erupting. People started to scream and ran away.”
Nepal Army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet said helicopters could not reach some locations until floodwaters receded.
Police, military personnel and rescue teams were mobilised as authorities attempted to reach isolated communities.
The source article identifies Balendra Shah as Nepal’s Prime Minister and quotes him as saying instructions had been issued to evacuate people living in low-lying areas.
“People along the river are advised to exercise extra caution and remain alert,” he was quoted as saying.
Glacial Event Investigated as Possible Trigger
The precise cause of the latest disaster was initially unclear.
However, subsequent reports linked the destructive surge to glacial melt and a blockage involving the Lende Khola River, a tributary of the Bhote Koshi.
According to those accounts, a landslide involving ice and rocks from a glacier blocked the river.
When the blockage released, a large volume of water reportedly surged downstream.
The source article also cites a theory that an earthquake in the region may have contributed to sudden glacial melting. That explanation has not been presented as a definitive scientific finding.
The Bhote Koshi originates in Tibet before flowing into Nepal’s Trishuli River. That river eventually enters India as the Gandak.
The region has experienced similar disasters before.
Last year’s Bhote Koshi flood killed nine people and left 24 missing.
It also destroyed a Friendship Bridge linking Nepal and China, disrupting trade and transport for months.
A regional climate monitor later attributed that flood to the draining of a supraglacial lake in Tibet.
Tibet Reports Mudslides and Major Casualties
The disaster also affected areas across the border in Tibet.
China’s official Xinhua news agency reported major casualties and missing people in neighbouring Gyirong County.
A mudslide disrupted roads, communications and electricity in the Shigatse region near the Nepalese border.
A Chinese Government building near the border was also reported to have been completely destroyed.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “all-out” search operations for the missing.
He also urged authorities to strengthen monitoring and early-warning systems to reduce the risk of secondary disasters.
The scale of the damage on both sides of the border has complicated rescue and recovery operations.
Hydropower Network Takes Major Hit
Nepal’s electricity infrastructure suffered significant damage.
The country’s Energy Ministry said approximately 430 megawatts of electricity generation had been affected, mainly from hydropower projects.
That represents more than 12% of Nepal’s total national hydropower capacity of around 3.2 gigawatts.
Roads, bridges and transmission infrastructure have also suffered severe damage.
Reports indicate that sections of highway running near the Bhote Koshi River were completely submerged.
The destruction creates an additional logistical challenge because mountainous terrain already makes access difficult.
With roads severed, helicopters and specialised rescue teams have become critical.
However, high water levels and unstable weather initially prevented aircraft from reaching some of the worst-hit areas.
Hundreds Missing as Search Expands
Foreign media reports now put the number of missing at approximately 400.
The source article states that 291 of them are foreign tourists.
That figure has raised international concern because Nepal’s Himalayan regions attract large numbers of overseas travellers, trekkers and climbers.
Authorities are continuing to assess how many people were in the affected areas when the flooding began.
Earlier reports said 18 people had died.
The latest reports cited in the article subsequently raised the toll to 20.
Officials have warned that casualty numbers may change as rescue workers reach previously inaccessible locations.
Experts quoted in the source material have described the disaster as one of the most serious to affect the Himalayan region in about a decade.
They have also pointed to climate change and changing weather patterns as factors increasing the vulnerability of Himalayan communities.
However, determining the exact relationship between climate change, glacial instability and this specific event will require further scientific investigation.
No Sri Lankans Reported Affected
Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said it has received no information indicating that Sri Lankan nationals were affected by the Nepal flash floods.
Foreign Ministry Media Spokesman Tushara Rodrigo said authorities had not received reports of Sri Lankans among the casualties or missing.
Between 85 and 100 Sri Lankan nationals are reportedly living in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu.
The Ministry continues to monitor developments as rescue efforts proceed.
The disaster has left communities on both sides of the Nepal-China border facing a major humanitarian and infrastructure emergency.
With 20 deaths now reported and hundreds still missing, the immediate priority remains locating survivors and reaching communities cut off by damaged roads, bridges and communications.
At the same time, the disaster has renewed concern over the growing vulnerability of Himalayan settlements to flash floods, glacial instability and increasingly unpredictable extreme weather.
