Photo courtesy of Anadolu
At least 160 persons were killed and hundreds of tourists, workers and others left missing as massive flash floods swept through communities and villages in a border area between Nepal and China.
Authorities announced a stoppage on travel in some areas as rescue and disaster responders reported an avalanche from a glacier which likely caused the disaster in the warming Himalayan region.
The Nepalese police disclosed that at least 157 were found dead in the flood aftermath even as China’s state broadcaster China Central Television (Cctv) broadcasted a mudslide near the border of Tibet’s Gyirong County killed at least three and left 265 missing.
Drone footage from the Xinhua news agency showed roads destroyed and buildings buried. Images showed what appeared to be the second floors of buildings in Nepal’s hard-hit Nuwakot district slathered in mud after the torrent rushed by. Debris hung from tree branches and wires, vehicles were buried and stunned survivors were caked in mud.
Officials in Nepal recounted that some 403 persons, including 341 foreign nationals, were reported missing. Nepal’s tourism board spokesperson Sunil Sharma said 133 were from India on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus. Also missing were 47 from the United States, 34 from Australia, 33 from Britain and 24 from Canada.
In Rasuwa, at least 62 missing Nepali citizens were among hundreds of locals trekking in the Gosaikunda Lake area, coinciding with the local festival of Janai Purnima. Sharma added. Nepal police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle told The Associated Press at least 28 police officials were missing.
Officials warned residents in several districts to stay away from the banks of the Bhotekoshi, Trishuli and Narayani rivers, which were flooded with several villages and hydropower projects recording severe damage. At least 19 bridges were also swept away.
The United States Geological Survey first reported a magnitude 4.4 earthquake early Wednesday, about 66 kilometers (41 miles) north of Kathmandu, near the border. The USGS later updated to level it at magnitude 5.2.
