Glacial collapse triggers devastating floods on the Nepal-Tibet border
Powerful mudflows and flash floods have destroyed settlements in the border region between Nepal and Chinese-occupied Tibet. The disaster was caused by the collapse of a glacier in the Himalayas, and rescue teams are continuing the search for people buried or swept away by the water.
According to the latest data, at least 162 people have died in Nepal. In Tibet, three more deaths have been reported, while the number of missing persons on both sides of the border has reached nearly a thousand.
Hundreds of foreigners are among the missing
The Chinese agency "Xinhua" reports that 558 people have been declared missing in Tibet following the landslides triggered by the glacier collapse. State television CCTV indicates that 260 of them are foreign nationals. Two local residents have been rescued.
In Nepal, 403 people were initially reported missing, including 341 foreigners. Nepal Tourism Board representative Sunil Sharma clarifies that 133 of them are pilgrims from India who were traveling to the sacred Mount Kailash in Tibet.
Among those missing are also 47 US citizens, 34 Australians, 33 Britons, and 24 Canadians. The US State Department stated that it is aware of affected American citizens.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed that at least 34 Australians are unaccounted for. "As far as we understand, these Australians were part of various groups of pilgrims and tourists," she told reporters in Adelaide.
According to her, the Nepalese government has not yet issued an official request for assistance, but Australia is already coordinating a humanitarian response with Nepal, the UN, the Red Cross, and other organizations.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia announced that 55 Malaysian citizens in Kathmandu cannot be located due to serious disruptions in communications and infrastructure. The ministry is maintaining contact with local authorities to establish their location and status, though at this time there is no confirmation that they were in the disaster zone.
Testimonies of destroyed settlements
Drone footage taken in Nepal shows destroyed buildings and roads covered in thick, brownish water and mud. The flows have swept away entire sections of settlements along the mountain valleys.
Local resident Shoyam Rajbhandari recounts that the disaster struck with almost no warning. "When I reached the Dhunge market, literally half an hour later the wave hit us and destroyed the entire market. People were just preparing to go to work. We don't know how many people are missing or dead."
Not an earthquake, but a glacial collapse
The US Geological Survey initially reported a magnitude 4.4 earthquake registered early Wednesday morning near the border, north of Kathmandu.
After further analysis of nearby seismic stations, long-period seismic waves, and satellite imagery, the agency revised its assessment. The registered phenomenon was not an earthquake, but a glacial collapse and a subsequent debris flow, whose seismic impact was estimated at a magnitude of 5.2.
The agency emphasizes that this event caused "catastrophic downstream consequences" and that no earthquake occurred.
The wave raised the river level by nearly nine meters
Climatologists from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development in Kathmandu believe the flash flood was triggered by an avalanche following the glacier collapse.
"Hydrological observations show the extreme speed and force of the surging wave," the experts point out. According to their data, the level of the Trishuli River rose by nearly nine meters in just half an hour, and the most powerful flow was recorded on the Lhende-Khola River, a tributary of the Bhote Koshi.
Disaster risk reduction specialist Saswata Sanyal explains: "The Lhende-Khola River has already flooded its banks twice in the last 14 months. This time, the flooding was caused by an avalanche of ice and rocks from the glacier on the Nepalese side, which blocked the riverbed and then led to a sudden release of water downstream."
According to the experts, the tragedy shows the growing risk to people, infrastructure, and water resources in the Himalayas. The Lhende-Khola river system has overflowed twice in the last 14 months, and the instability of the glaciers in the region increases the danger of new sudden disasters.