More than 160 people have reportedly died and hundreds remain missing after large landslides and sudden flooding struck the Nepal-Tibet border. Officials have warned that the death toll could rise as the scale of the destruction becomes clearer.
Mud and debris swept towards towns in northern Nepal, including areas popular with mountaineers and pilgrims. The border region lies about 64 kilometres north of Kathmandu. Buildings, roads and vehicles were carried away, while people in Nuwakot were seen fleeing advancing debris.
Flooding has also hit areas along the Bhotekoshi, Trishuli and Narayani rivers. Reports of deaths have emerged from villages on the Tibetan side of the border as well.
Cause remains uncertain
Nepal’s foreign minister initially said an earthquake had been reported near the Tibet-Nepal border shortly before the landslide, raising the possibility that seismic activity had triggered the disaster. However, an analysis by the United States Geological Survey said there had been no earthquake in the area.
The conflicting information leaves the cause of the landslide unresolved. Chinese state media reported a large number of casualties, while Nepali officials warned of extensive damage.
Communities face widespread losses
The Nuwakot district is among the worst-affected areas. Survivors told the BBC that the flooding destroyed homes, families, livestock and farmland.
Kalpana Malla said members of her family were swept away in front of her. She said her father, mother, sister and her sister’s children all died in the flood, while she and her son survived after reaching the roof of a house.
Her son, Sugam Malla, said he had pulled his mother to safety. He also said he had given his phone to his sister so she could remain safe and contact people for help, but that he could no longer reach her and feared she had been swept away.
Another survivor, Goma Pandit, said her buffaloes and other livestock were lost. She also said her farmland disappeared, along with ten sacks of mustard seeds and several tonnes of maize and rice.
Missing people and urgent needs
Sonam Dorji, a trekking guide from Rasuwa Syabru Bensi village in Nepal’s Rasuwa district, said flooding reached the village at nine in the morning local time. He had left for Kathmandu about an hour earlier for a planned trip.
His sister, Dechen Tamang, her husband and several other family members remain missing. Dorji said he heard the sound of flooding as he left the village and found that his house had collapsed.
He described the flooding as sudden and devastating. According to Dorji, many people no longer have homes and need rescue, safe shelter, food and medical assistance. He said he was holding on to a small hope that his sister would be found alive.
The Nepal Tourism Board said missing foreign nationals include citizens of India, Australia, the Netherlands, the United States, Malaysia, the United Kingdom and South Africa.
Response from regional leaders
Nepal’s Prime Minister Balen Shah said the country was shocked and deeply distressed. He said officials would work with China on relief and rescue operations.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for full-scale relief and search efforts. He also pledged stronger monitoring and early-warning systems to reduce the impact of similar events in the future.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his government was ready to provide Nepal with all possible humanitarian assistance. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the British government would make every possible effort to help British citizens in Nepal.
