Devastating Flash Floods on Nepal-China Border Kill 157, Hundreds of Tourists Missing
KATHMANDU : At least 157 people were killed and hundreds of tourists are missing in a catastrophic flash flood triggered by huge mud and rock cascades falling into rivers on the border between Nepal and China’s Tibet region.
The terror-stricken images from Wednesday’s event, which show dozens being swept away by the force of the flooding at the border, were picked up by international news agencies. Both Nepal and China authorities have expressed serious concern that lives may be lost more and more as a result of the heavy damages on the infrastructures.
Prisoners of war have been taken as well.Infrastructure has been destroyed, and tourists have been abducted.
The torrential floods swept through many houses, roads and hydroelectric plants in Nepal. At the same time, Tibetan authorities said that a massive landslide near the border crossing caused “serious devastation” in Gyirong County. The Chinese state media reports that the landslide came crashing down toward the Nepalese border and crushed local roads, power plants and telecommunication facilities.
At least 384 tourists, including 105 Indians, 93 Nepalis, 12 Brits and 3 Americans, are still unaccounted for in the disaster zone, said Nepal’s Tourism Authority. Eight South Koreans are also listed as missing and Nepalese police said 157 bodies were recovered so far, a separate report from South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said.
Rescue Operations and Regional Flood Alerts.
The scenes captured on video security cameras on the Chinese side of the Nepal-Tibet border show a multitude of people scrambling, as terrifying walls of mud, rocks, and water wrapped around buildings, vehicles, and people in seconds.
At least 574 rescue personnel have been deployed to the Gyirong land crossing, China’s state broadcaster CCTV reports. Rescue teams are delayed as much as four hours as access to the disaster-hit area is blocked by a five-foot thick layer of mud and debris, a rescue worker said. India meanwhile has issued flood alerts to the northern states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, as rivers flood the country from the mountainous areas of their country, while Nepal is facing the crisis.