Live updates: Massive flash flood on Nepal-Tibet border leaves hundreds missing, including U.S. tourists
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At least 165 people have been killed, and the death toll is expected to rise as rescuers search for survivors of catastrophic floods that swept through the Himalayan region.
What to know
- At least 165 people have been killed, and hundreds more are missing after catastrophic floods swept through towns and valleys along the border between Nepal and China's Tibet region. Officials say the death toll is expected to rise.
- More than 400 foreign nationals are among the 579 tourists missing in the rugged mountainous region, which is popular with pilgrims and trekkers. They include 47 people from the U.S., 34 from Australia, 33 from Britain and 24 from Canada, Sunil Sharma, a spokesperson for Nepal’s tourism board, told The Associated Press.
- Chinese officials said 558 people were missing after a mudslide at a land crossing in Tibet’s Gyirong county, including 260 foreign nationals. It was not immediately clear whether China and Nepal were counting some of the same people.
- Videos show bridges being cracked apart and swept away in Nepal’s hardest-hit Rasuwa region by the force of raging waters filled with mud and debris.
- The exact cause of the disaster was not immediately clear. Experts said it was most likely caused at least in part by a partial glacier collapse that sent tons of ice and rock crashing down into the valley below, setting off a powerful landslide.
Malaysia says 55 of its citizens are missing in Nepal
Malaysia says 55 of its citizens are missing in Nepal, adding that severe disruptions to communication networks and electricity supplies may be complicating efforts to reach them.
The Malaysian Foreign Affairs Ministry said that it had not confirmed any casualties and that it was working closely with local authorities on search-and-rescue operations.
558 people missing in Tibet border county, Chinese officials say
Officials said at least three people are dead and 558 others are missing, including 260 foreign nationals, after a mudslide hit a border land crossing in Gyirong, a county in China’s Tibet region that borders Nepal.
As of 8 a.m. Thursday (8 p.m. Wednesday ET), two Resuo villagers have been rescued and three bodies have been recovered, Norbu Tsering, deputy party secretary and acting mayor of the city of Shigatse, said at a news conference.
The number of missing people has more than doubled from an earlier estimate of 265. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has ordered “all-out” efforts to search for the missing and called for strengthening monitoring and early warning systems to prevent secondary disasters, according to Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency.
Roads leading to the Gyirong Port land crossing on the Chinese side have been cut off along with communications and power supplies, hampering rescue efforts, Xinhua said. The crossing was also hit by a mudslide just over a year ago.
Australia says there is 'very limited' information about its missing 34 citizens
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said that the government had confirmed that at least 34 Australians were missing but that “access and information are very limited given the scale of disaster.”
The missing Australians were part of separate pilgrimage and tour groups, she said at a news conference, adding that Australia is deploying crisis response experts and other personnel to the region.
“The loss of life and the scale of the destruction is devastating,” she said.
About 50 Americans among hundreds of people missing
Forty-seven American tourists are among those missing after the flash flood, Sunil Sharma, a spokesperson for Nepal's tourism board, told The Associated Press.
The U.S. State Department has not confirmed the number of people missing. It said it is closely monitoring the situation and deploying a disaster response adviser to the region.
The department said it was also providing $500,000 in assistance through the humanitarian group Catholic Relief Services for communities affected by the floods.
Nepali tourism officials said more than 400 foreign nationals are missing in the area, which is popular with pilgrims and trekkers. India, Canada, Britain, Australia, Japan and Malaysia have all reported missing citizens.
Hundreds missing in deadly Nepal floods
Officials in Nepal say hundreds of tourists, including some Americans, are missing after deadly flash floods devastated a region along the country’s border with China. NBC News’ Janis Mackey Frayer reports.
Videos show crushing walls of water overtake buildings and bridges on Nepal-Tibet border
Crowds try to flee a surging wall of mud but have nowhere to go as it hits them with horrific force. Rows of buses and trucks parked nearby are swept aside like toys. Moments later, there is only wreckage and destruction.
The shocking surveillance video from the Rasuwagadhi border crossing, which links China’s semiautonomous Tibet region to Nepal, captures the scale of destruction as flash floods swept through Himalayan mountain towns and villages Wednesday, leaving ruins in their wake.
videos verified by NBC News show bridges being cracked apart and swept away in Nepal’s hardest-hit Rasuwa region by the force of raging waters filled with mud and debris. Peaceful, lush green valleys are transformed in an instant with the violence of churning water.
Aboard a bus in Bidur, a passenger captures chaos as the surge appears in the distance: People scream and shout, some running away on foot, as vehicles on the road try to make their escape. Elsewhere, in videos shared by Nepali police, roads and buildings are swept away completely.
