At least 177 people have been confirmed dead, with officials expecting the number to rise as search and rescue operations continue. More than 1,300 people, including over 700 foreign nationals, are missing across Nepal and China’s Tibet region following a significant collapse of mud and rock into a Himalayan river, which triggered catastrophic flooding in local towns and valleys, according to authorities.
Nepalese police and tourism officials confirmed on Thursday that over 500 foreigners are among 823 people missing in Nepal. Police indicated that the confirmed death toll is likely to increase significantly beyond 177. Police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle stated, "This will go up, as we have resumed the search and more bodies are expected to be recovered." Among the missing tourists from more than two dozen countries, 177 are from India, 63 from the United States, 34 from Australia, 33 from the United Kingdom, and 25 from Canada.
In Tibet’s Gyirong county, 558 people are reported missing, including 260 foreign nationals, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. Rescuers in Nepal have deployed helicopters to search for survivors and deliver emergency supplies to thousands of people isolated in a rugged mountainous area popular with trekkers and pilgrims traveling between Lhasa in Tibet and the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu.
Video footage verified by news agencies depicted rapid torrents of water and debris sweeping away individuals at a border crossing in Gyirong, while downstream in Nepal, homes, roads, and power infrastructure were destroyed. Army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet reported that helicopters were dropping tents, food, and medicine provided by neighboring India into the hardest-hit districts. More than 5,000 army and police rescue personnel participated in the rescue effort, which retrieved 125 people on Thursday, including 20 foreigners.
Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah traveled by road to Bidur in one of the worst-affected districts of Nuwakot to assess the flood situation, as stated by his office on social media. Early reports from Nepalese officials suggested that an earthquake in the area may have caused the lower section of a glacier to collapse, leading to the flash floods. However, the US Geological Survey noted that the seismic event, initially recorded as a magnitude 4.4 earthquake, was actually the seismic energy generated by the sudden collapse of glacial rock and ice, followed by a significant debris flow.
Chinese authorities warned that a still-dammed lake in Gyirong, upstream from the flood-affected border crossing, poses further risks and could complicate rescue efforts in the area, as reported by CCTV. Many of those caught in the disaster were on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar, high-altitude sites in Tibet revered by Hindus, Buddhists, and followers of other faiths.
Some 77 Hindu pilgrims were at the Nepal-China border immigration office when the flood occurred on Wednesday, according to popular Indian spiritual leader Sadhguru, whose real name is Jagdish Vasudev, in a video message from Tibet on his social media accounts. The pilgrims were part of several Hindu groups organized by the Isha Foundation of Sadhguru, who had been visiting Mount Kailash.
The US State Department announced it is dispatching a disaster response adviser and providing $500,000 in emergency aid. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney described the flooding as "devastating," adding that Canadian officials are monitoring the situation closely. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres confirmed that UN teams are delivering emergency supplies and support staff to affected communities in Nepal.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese noted that gathering clear information from the remote area remains challenging due to limited local infrastructure and resources. Sagar Pandey, chief executive of a Himalayan tourism operator, stated that 15 Indian-Australian pilgrims traveling with his company are among the missing.
"There are no human-made structures, no human settlements left. Everything is just flat," he said after conducting an aerial survey of the disaster zone. "Anyone in the hotels, restaurants, or vehicles – I believe everyone is gone." CCTV footage from the Chinese side of the border showed residents fleeing as a surge of mud, rocks, and floodwater submerged buildings and vehicles.
Preliminary satellite imagery analysis by Planet Labs indicated that a landslide of ice and rock triggered a debris-laden surge down the Lhende River, approximately 20km (12 miles) northeast of the Rasuwagadhi border crossing between Nepal and China. In the affected valleys, thick mud covered homes, trees, and vehicles, while aerial footage showed collapsed houses, submerged cars, and a metallic bridge washed away by the torrents.
"There is devastation everywhere we look," said Tula Bahadur BK, a healthcare worker in Rasuwa. "The settlements next to the river have been completely swept away. Five of my own relatives are missing." Journalist Ramyata Limbu, reporting from Kathmandu, told Al Jazeera that it is too early to assess the potential impact on the Nepalese economy, but the damage is likely to be significant.
"Experts say it will be significant. Some have even used the word massive, because in terms of human lives lost, in terms of the economy, livelihoods, in terms of tourism, trade, in terms of hydropower projects, that area was home to several kinds of businesses, enterprises, tourism," she said. She added that the affected area is also home to a well-known national park frequented by many tourists each year, as well as a dry port between Nepal and China.
"So in terms of the economy, I think it will set Nepal back by a wide margin, but I think now it’s too early to say," she added.