Rescue teams were engaged in a desperate search for hundreds of missing individuals along the Nepal-China border Thursday following a catastrophic and deadly torrent of floods and mud swept through several communities a day earlier following a glacial collapse. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority in Nepal stated that 826 people were missing and the death toll from Nepal’s flash floods rose to 165 on Thursday. Nepalese authorities ramped up operations in the worst-affected districts of Nuwakot and Rasuwa. The event, triggered by a glacial collapse, has severely impacted the region’s economy and infrastructure.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority in Nepal said 826 people were missing and the death toll from Nepal’s flash floods rose to 165 on Thursday. Nepalese authorities ramped up operations in the worst-affected districts of Nuwakot and Rasuwa. The region’s steep valleys are economic lifelines and travel corridors, but are precarious when disaster strikes. 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 some stunned survivors were caked in mud. The floods halted travel in some areas.
Hikmat Singh Ayer, CEO and senior director of Nepal’s Tourism Board, told CBS News Wednesday, there were at least 33 Americans among the missing foreign nationals. Drone footage in Nepal on Wednesday showed roads destroyed and buildings buried by thundering water the color of wet cement. The region’s steep valleys are economic lifelines and travel corridors but are precarious when disaster strikes. The floods halted travel in some areas.
The region’s steep valleys are economic lifelines and travel corridors but are precarious when disaster strikes. The area’s remote location has made it difficult for emergency responders to reach affected communities, hindering rescue efforts. The disaster has impacted Nepal’s tourism sector, a vital source of revenue for the country.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV separately reported that 558 people were missing in Tibet — 260 of them foreigners — and two villagers were rescued. At least three people were killed as of Thursday morning, it said. Hikmat Singh Ayer, CEO and senior director of Nepal’s Tourism Board, told CBS News Wednesday there were at least 33 Americans among the missing foreign nationals. The region’s steep valleys are economic lifelines and travel corridors but are precarious when disaster strikes. The region’s steep slopes and the lush valleys below the Himalayan mountain range are particularly vulnerable to flooding and landslides, and extreme weather events like intense monsoons and melting glaciers have become more common because of warming due to human-caused climate change.
CCTV said a barrier lake has also been discovered in the direction of the port, posing challenges to the rescue operation. Chinese authorities deployed a large military transport aircraft to send a team to the region, and a $500,000 grant to Catholic Relief Services was also sent to Nepal.
Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said Thursday that he was praying for all those killed in devastating floods in Nepal and Tibet, French news agency AFP reported. "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.
In a social media post, the U.S. Embassy in Nepal expressed its ‘heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in the devastating floods." It said the State Department is closely monitoring the situation and sending an adviser to the region to help with response efforts as well as a $500,000 grant to Catholic Relief Services.
Climate experts at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development said an avalanche from a glacier likely caused Wednesday’s flash flood. The Lhende Khola River, a tributary of the Bhotekoshi, had maximum flooding, they said. The Lhende Khola has flooded twice in 14 months, and the increasingly unstable Himalayan ice system threatens communities, infrastructure, and water supplies across one of the world’s most densely populated regions.
The Himalayan mountain range spans several countries in South Asia and has many of the world’s highest peaks and remaining glaciers. The steep slopes and the lush valleys below the Himalayan mountain range are particularly vulnerable to flooding and landslides, and extreme weather events like intense monsoons and melting glaciers have become more common because of warming due to human-caused climate change.
The disaster in Nepal and Tibet is not a one-off. The Lhende Khola river system has now flooded twice in just 14 months and the increasingly unstable Himalayan ice system threatens communities, infrastructure, and water supplies across one of the world’s most densely populated regions.
Researchers in Kathmandu found earlier this year that glaciers across the Hindu Kush Himalaya region are melting faster, with ice loss rates doubling since 2000.
The threat from melting glaciers has become a global concern.
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Source: CBS News
