At least 17 people have died and nearly 400 are unaccounted for after a flash flood and mudslide struck the Nepal-Tibet border region, washing away villages and damaging transport and other infrastructure.
The disaster hit early Wednesday in Rasuwa, north of Kathmandu. Preliminary information cited by Nepalese authorities indicates that an earthquake at 08:37 local time may have triggered an avalanche, with melted snow flowing into the Bhote Koshi river and causing the flood.
Searches are under way on both sides of the border. Twelve people have been rescued so far, while Chinese state media have reported significant casualties in Tibet. Nepalese officials have said they expect losses on a huge scale.
Nepal’s tourism board said it was trying to establish the whereabouts of 291 tourists and 93 Nepalese nationals, including guides, believed to have been in the affected area. The missing group includes 12 travellers from the United Kingdom, as well as people from the United States, Malaysia, South Africa and India.
Communications and transport disrupted
Areas downstream from the Bhote Koshi have been placed on high alert. Roads, electricity and communications have been disrupted, and authorities said the main road to Kathmandu has been closed.
Chinese businessman Yee Liang, based in Kathmandu, said his logistics company had lost contact with seven container trucks and their Nepalese staff in the area. He said there had been no warning of the flood, which appeared more severe than the landslides and mudslides that can occur during the rainy season.
Road access has also been cut on the Tibetan side, where the scale of damage remains unclear. Strong winds have hindered efforts to use a helicopter to inspect the affected area, according to an account from a man whose wife works for a state-run road and bridge construction company in Tibet.
Foreign Affairs Minister Shishir Khanal told parliament that 26 police personnel, nine armed police officers and 44 military members were missing. Prime Minister Balendra Shah said emergency work was being coordinated with medical teams, scouts and the Red Cross, while the disaster management authority urged people near vulnerable riverbanks to take precautions.
Rasuwa was hit by deadly flooding last year, when a glacier burst on the Chinese side of the border and killed 18 people. Officials told the BBC they believe the latest disaster is larger in scale.
Source: BBC News
