Devastating floods along the Nepal-Tibet border have resulted in the deaths of at least 359 individuals, according to an update from Nepali police on Thursday, just a day after the calamity.
“As of 5pm on Thursday, 359 individuals have lost their lives,” stated Nepal Police in an announcement.
Earlier reports from Chinese state media indicated significant casualties due to a mudslide at a border hub in Tibet, with three fatalities, raising the total death toll to at least 362.
A harrowing surveillance video from the Chinese side of the border captured a colossal wave of mud and debris crashing over a multi-story building on Wednesday morning, overwhelming it as numerous individuals fled in panic below. The force of the surge swept away buses and cars as if they were mere toys.
Officials noted that many of the missing individuals are foreign tourists, attributing the disaster to a glacial collapse that triggered a flow of debris, as suggested by the US Geological Survey, which engulfed areas along its path.
The tsunami-like roar of water and mud impacted villages and towns along the routes of two rivers — Bhote Koshi and Trishuli.
At the time when Nepal’s death toll was reported at 273, 823 individuals, including 579 Nepali and foreign tourists, were still unaccounted for, as per the country’s disaster agency.
This group included nearly 100 Chinese nationals, as reported by Beijing’s foreign ministry. Ministry spokesman Lin Jian informed reporters that the Chinese embassy was “seeking further verification” from Nepali officials.
Subsequently, rescuers in Nepal located approximately 100 missing Indian tourists and 25 Chinese workers, according to authorities.
Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah traveled by road to Bidur, one of the districts hardest hit by the floods, to evaluate the situation, as his office shared on social media.
Among the tourists reported missing from over two dozen countries, 177 were from India, 63 from the United States, 34 from Australia, 33 from Britain, and 25 from Canada.
Additionally, tourists from Malaysia, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, and South Korea were also mentioned by Nepal’s tourism board.