Around 1,000 people missing in Nepal and Tibet after catastrophic floods caused by a glacial collapse

At least 162 were killed in Nepal and three others in Tibet after massive flash floods in a border area of Nepal and China swept through communities on Wednesday. China’s state media reported warning up to 1000 people remain missing in Nepal and Tibet from the disaster.

China's state new agency Xinhua said Thursday that mudslides in Tibet caused by a glacial collapse have left three people dead and 558 missing, while state broadcaster CCTV reported some 260 of the 558 missing people in Tibet were foreigners, and two villagers were rescued.

At least three people were killed as of Thursday morning, it said.

Drone footage in Nepal showed roads destroyed and buildings buried by thundering water the colour of wet cement.

The region’s steep valleys are economic lifelines and travel corridors but are precarious when disaster strikes. Images showed what appeared to be the second floors of buildings in Nepal’s hard-hit Nuwakot district slathered in mud after the torrent rushed by. Debris hung from tree branches and wires, vehicles were buried and some stunned survivors were caked in mud. The floods halted travel in some areas.

Foreign nationals are among are missing

“When I reached Dhunge bazaar, in half an hour, the flood came and damaged all the market. People were preparing to go to office then,” resident Shoyam Rajbhandari said. “How many people are missing or dead, we don’t know.”

Officials in Nepal earlier said 403 people, including 341 foreigners, were reported missing. Sunil Sharma, a tourism board spokesperson, said 133 were from India on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus. Also missing were 47 from the United States, 34 from Australia, 33 from Britain and 24 from Canada, he said. The State Department said it was aware of Americans affected.

Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters Thursday at least 34 Australians on pilgrimages and hiking tours were missing.

“We understand these Australians were part of separate pilgrimage and tour groups,” Wong told reporters in Adelaide, Australia.

The Nepalese government had not yet requested help but Australia was coordinating with Nepal, the United Nations, the Red Cross and other organizations on a humanitarian response, she said.

55 Malaysians in Kathmandu are now unreachable due to serious infrastructural delays, according to Malaysia's Foreign Ministry, which increased the number of missing on Thursday. It stated that it is closely collaborating with authorities to determine the safety and locations of Malaysian casualties, but there is no formal confirmation of their presence.

The U.S. Geological Survey first reported a magnitude 4.4 earthquake early Wednesday, about 66 kilometres (41 miles) north of Kathmandu, near the border. The USGS later updated its analysis to say the seismic event it measured was a magnitude 5.2 glacial collapse that sent debris flowing downstream with catastrophic impact on communities. It said its determination was based on data from nearby seismic stations, long-period seismic waves and satellite imagery, and that no earthquake had occurred.

Avalanche from glacier caused disaster

Climate experts at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development said an avalanche from a glacier likely caused Wednesday’s flash flood.

“Hydrological observations indicate the exceptional speed and magnitude of the flood wave,” they said in an emailed statement, noting that water levels at one point on the Trishuli river rose by as much as 9 metres over half an hour.

The Lhende Khola River, a tributary of the Bhotekoshi, had maximum flooding, they said.

“The Lhende Khola has flooded twice in 14 months, this time triggered by an ice rock avalanche from a glacier on the Nepal side that blocked the river and released a sudden surge downstream,” said Saswata Sanyal, a disaster risk reduction specialist at the climate research group.

The disaster in Nepal and Tibet is not a one-off. The Lhende Khola river system has now flooded twice in just 14 months, and the increasingly unstable Himalayan ice system threatens communities, infrastructure and water supplies across one of the world’s most densely populated regions.

The region saw similar flash floods in August last year, when a glacial lake in Tibet overflowed because of high temperatures. Nine people were killed, and critical infrastructure, including a bridge connecting Nepal and China, was damaged.