More than 1,300 missing in Nepal and China after deadly Himalayan flood

What the report says

At least 1,300 people are missing after catastrophic flooding in Nepal and China’s Tibet region triggered by a massive collapse of mud, rock, ice and debris into a Himalayan river, according to Al Jazeera’s report citing authorities and news agency dispatches. The disaster struck border areas linked to trekking and pilgrimage routes between Nepal and Tibet, with officials saying the confirmed death toll had reached at least 165 and was expected to rise as search teams recovered more bodies.

In Nepal, police and tourism officials said 826 people were missing, including nearly 500 foreigners. Reported nationalities among the missing included travelers from India, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada. Across the border in Tibet’s Gyirong county, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said 558 people were missing, including 260 foreign nationals. Rescue teams used helicopters to search for survivors, deliver aid and reach communities cut off by damaged roads, homes and power systems.

Authorities and satellite analysis described the event as a landslide or glacial collapse that sent a fast-moving debris flow down the Lhende River. Chinese officials warned that a blocked lake upstream could add to the danger. The flood hit an area popular with pilgrims heading to Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar, and several governments, including the United States, Canada and Australia, said they were monitoring the situation or offering support. The scale of the destruction has complicated rescue work in the remote mountain terrain.