Almost 1,400 people, including close to 800 foreign nationals, remain missing in Nepal and Tibet after a wall of mud and rock crashed into a Himalayan river, unleashing devastating flash floods across towns and valleys.
Nepalese police said in a post on X that 270 bodies had been recovered in the 24 hours following the disaster.
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Helicopters scoured the region for survivors while delivering emergency supplies to thousands stranded after floodwaters tore through the rugged mountain corridor between Lhasa in Tibet and Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu—a route heavily used by trekkers and pilgrims.
Rescuers in Nepal located about 100 missing Indian visitors and 25 Chinese workers, authorities said this morning.
Nepal’s disaster agency reported that 823 people were still unaccounted for, including at least 579 tourists.
The missing visitors came from more than two dozen countries, among them 178 from India, 65 from the United States, 35 from Australia, 33 from Britain and 25 from Canada.
In Tibet’s Gyirong county, Chinese authorities said three people had died and 558 remained missing, including 260 foreign nationals. It was not immediately known whether those figures overlapped with Nepal’s tally.
Beijing’s foreign ministry said nearly 100 Chinese nationals were missing in Nepal, while “tourists and pilgrims” were among the foreign nationals unaccounted for in Tibet.
A spokesperson said officials were still checking the precise figures as search-and-rescue efforts continued.
Security personnel rescue people in a bulldozer from buildings damaged along the Trishuli River
Kumar Adhikari, manager of Alpine Eco Trek, said the tour group travelling with the two Irish nationals had been on a nine-day journey to Mount Kailash. They were crossing from Nepal into Tibet when the flash floods struck and trapped them at the border.
Mr Adhikari said he remained in contact with the group’s guides until 8.40am, when their phones stopped working. By then, he believed, the group would have been inside Tibet’s immigration office.
“We were hoping that inside it was safe,” he said.
“But later the video came from China’s government which (showed) even Tibet’s side was hit by the flood.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was closely monitoring developments.
The department, together with the Embassy of Ireland to India, which is responsible for Nepal, will offer consular assistance to affected Irish citizens and their families, it said.
As with all consular matters, the department said it would not comment on individual cases.
Irish citizens seeking assistance can contact the Embassy of Ireland in India at +9111 4940 3200.
An elderly woman is rescued after the flash flooding the upper Lhende River in Tibet
Verified footage showed torrents of water and debris sweeping dozens of people away at a border crossing in Gyirong. Farther downstream in Nepal, homes, roads and power infrastructure were destroyed.
Helicopters were dropping tents, food and other emergency supplies supplied by neighbouring India into the worst-hit districts, a spokesperson for Nepal’s army said.
Initial reports from Nepalese officials suggested that an earthquake might have caused the lower section of a glacier to collapse, triggering the floods.
The US Geological Survey said an earthquake initially measured at magnitude 4.4 was instead seismic energy produced by the collapse of glacial rock and ice, followed by a debris flow.
Many of those caught in the disaster were travelling on pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar, a high-altitude site in Tibet revered by Hindus, Buddhists and followers of other faiths.
Hindus believe Mount Kailash is the home of Lord Shiva. The mountain stands beside Lake Mansarovar, which is also considered sacred by several religions.
The US State Department said it would deploy a disaster response adviser and provide $500,000 in assistance.
A flood-damaged section of a highway in Nuwakot, Central Nepal
Canada was also monitoring events closely, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on X, calling the floods “absolutely devastating”.
UN teams and partner organisations were sending supplies and personnel to assist communities affected in Nepal, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said 34 Australians were among those missing.
“Nepal … is a developing country,” he said.
“It doesn’t have the resources that an event like that would have in Australia, so information is difficult.”
CCTV captures people fleeing seconds before mudslide engulfs Nepal-China border crossing
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said his government would do “everything we can” to help British nationals in Nepal.
The Dalai Lama said today that he was praying for everyone who had died.
“I pray for all those who have lost their lives, and offer my sympathy and heartfelt condolences to the bereaved and to all those affected by this tragedy,” he said in a statement.
“Since this region has seen calamities in the past as well, these are certainly symptoms of a deeper underlying cause – whether climate change or other factors,” he added.
“I hope that appropriate follow-up measures will be taken, wherever possible, to help ensure that such disasters do not recur.”
The 91-year-old spiritual leader, who lives in exile in India, is internationally known for his long campaign for greater autonomy for Tibet, his homeland. Beijing regards Tibet as an integral part of China.
Read more:What triggered the catastrophic flood on the Nepal-Tibet border?Drone footage captures devastation as floods wreak havoc in Nepal
Trekking company reports 47 missing
A tour company said 47 people, including two children, were missing in Nepal.
The group comprised 15 Australians, 10 Canadians, nine Nepalese, eight Americans, two Britons, two Singaporeans and one Russian-American dual citizen, according to Himalayan Glacier managing director Sanket Pandey.
Two teenage boys were among the 15 Australians reported missing, he said.
Most members of the group had been staying in the flood-hit Rasuwagadhi area, while several others were travelling into the town when the disaster struck, he said.
Seven Nepalese guides were also among those missing.
Additional reporting PA
