Rescue teams are searching for hundreds of missing people along the Nepal-China border, after catastrophic flash floods that swept through the Himalayan region destroyed homes, engulfed roads and collapsed bridges.
Some 389 people have died, Nepali police said Thursday, and 977 remain unaccounted for, according to Nepal’s national disaster management agency.
About 660 tourists from over 30 countries are among the missing, including 65 Americans, 178 Indians and 25 Canadians, the Nepal Tourism Board said. It added that 31 foreign nationals have been rescued, including two Americans.
Chinese state media said the landslide hit Gyirong Port in Tibet, killing three people and leaving 558 missing, including 260 foreign nationals. Nearly 100 Chinese nationals also remain missing on the Nepali side of the border, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a news conference Thursday.
Complicating rescue efforts is the risk of more flooding at the Bhotekoshi River, officials said, noting that a lake was forming at the disaster site and was at “risk of bursting.” The disaster management agency urged people to stay away from the riverbanks.
Geoscientists said the floods were probably triggered by a landslide from a collapsing glacier that caused the Bhotekoshi River to overflow. The waterway originates in the Tibetan Plateau in China and crosses into Nepal.
The U.S. Embassy in Nepal, citing the country’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, said Thursday that the main surge had moved downstream and there was no indication of another major destructive flood. But it said continuing rainfall could trigger local flooding, landslides and additional damage.
Monsoonal rains are affecting Nepal, and conditions look wetter than normal into early September. The unsettled weather could make recovery efforts more challenging — and pose new flooding threats in the country.
The disaster management agency said Thursday that more than 9,000 security personnel have been deployed to assist rescue efforts, including 4,200 from the army.
Many of the tourists caught in the disaster were Hindu pilgrims from India embarking on the Kailash Manasarovar, officials said.
On Thursday, Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah visited sites affected by the floods in Bidur in the Nuwakot district, while Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited Gyirong in Tibet. The rare on-the-ground visit by Li, China’s second-in-command, signals the seriousness with which Beijing views the disaster.
The United Nations, citing Nepali officials, said some 10,000 households were in need of immediate relief.
India and China have promised to provide assistance, while the U.N. said it was sending supplies and personnel “to support communities affected by the floods.”
The U.N’s chief relief coordinator said an initial $2 million has been allocated to “save lives with emergency medical care, shelter and water.” The U.S. State Department said Wednesday that it will provide $500,000 to assist communities affected by the floods.
Ben Noll contributed to this report.
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