Nepal floods: At least 162 killed, nearly 1,500 missing after glacial collapse

Nepal floods: At least 162 killed, almost 1, 500 missing after glacial collapse Massive glacial collapse unleashes mud, rocks, floodwaters through Himalayan region.

Key points

• At least 64 bodies were recovered in downstream areas of Chitwan district and another 26 in Nawalparasi East, according to a police statement issued Thursday morning.
• Although authorities have issued different tallies as rescue and identification efforts continue, almost 1, 500 residents are documented missing throughout Nepal and China's Tibet.
• While the number of missing there rose to 558, including 260 foreign nationals, the death toll in Tibet remained at three, according to CCTV.
• While authorities anticipated the figure to climb beyond 165 as more bodies are recovered, nepali police remarked the death toll had risen to 162.
• Sagar Pandey, chief executive of a Himalayan tourism operator, remarked 15 Indian-Australians travelling on a pilgrimage tour with his business were among those missing.

Meanwhile, a catastrophic flash flood swept through towns and valleys along the Nepal-China border on Wednesday, leaving homes, roads, bridges and other infrastructure destroyed. Authorities cautioned that the death toll could rise as rescuers resume searches in the remote mountain region.

Police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle remarked the search had resumed and cautioned that extra victims were probable to be discovered in the devastated areas.

At least 64 bodies were recovered in downstream areas of Chitwan district and another 26 in Nawalparasi East, according to a police statement issued Thursday morning. Twenty-eight police officers are among the hundreds still unaccounted for.

Although authorities have issued different tallies as rescue and identification efforts continue, almost 1, 500 residents are documented missing throughout Nepal and China's Tibet. While China's state broadcaster CCTV noted 558 missing in Tibet's Gyirong county, including 260 foreign nationals, in Nepal, police and tourism authorities stated 826 individuals were missing, including almost 600 foreigners.

Nepal had earlier put the number of missing tourists at 579, including 466 foreigners, meaning some of the figures may overlap or have been revised as authorities gather information. Hundreds of foreign tourists among missing.

Meanwhile, the disaster struck a rugged Himalayan corridor connecting Lhasa in Tibet with Kathmandu, a route heavily applied by trekkers, tourists and religious pilgrims.

Among the missing individuals in Nepal were tourists from more than two dozen countries. Authorities stated 177 were from India, 63 from the United States, 34 from Australia, 33 from Britain and 25 from Canada.

At least 54 Americans, most of them tourists, were documented missing after the floods and mudslides.

After flying over the affected zone in a helicopter, Pandey described the scale of destruction as almost total, saying there were no human-made structures or settlements left in some areas and expressing fears for individuals who had been inside hotels, restaurants and vehicles. Survivors describe wall of mud and water.

Verified videos indicated enormous masses of water, rocks and debris sweeping residents away at the Gyirong border crossing on the Chinese side.

Security footage captured individuals desperately running from a torrent that destroyed buildings and vehicles. Further downstream in Nepal, homes, roads and power projects were washed away.

Keshav Prasad Baral, a 68-year-old survivor being treated in hospital, recalled seeing a massive gush of mud moving directly toward him.

As the mud rose, Baral tried to grab his wife's hand and take her to the terrace. She was swept away after the mud entered their home.

For context, a helicopter rescued Baral regarding four hours afterwards, but he noted his wife remained buried beneath the mud.

Another survivor remarked he escaped by clinging to a mango tree while watching the house where he had been working disappear.

In Rasuwa, health worker Tula Bahadur BK remarked devastation was visible everywhere and that settlements along the river had been completely swept away. He remarked five of his own relatives were missing.

While helicopters flew overhead carrying survivors to safety, images from the disaster zone indicated layers of mud a number of metres thick covering homes, trees and vehicles.

Television footage indicated collapsed houses, floating cars and a metal bridge being swept away, with witnesses reporting that entire villages had been engulfed by floodwaters. Glacial collapse, not earthquake.

Early reports from Nepali authorities suggested that an earthquake may have caused part of a glacier to collapse and trigger the floods.

For context, the US Geological Survey initially documented a magnitude 4.4 earthquake in the area on Wednesday. But after examining seismic data, long-period seismic waves and satellite imagery, the USGS concluded that there had been no earthquake.

Instead, the seismic signal was generated by a glacial collapse involving rock and ice, followed by a debris flow that caused catastrophic impacts downstream.

Nepali authorities had additionally informed the BBC that a massive chunk of ice may have collapsed from a mountain, dragging rocks and other sediment with it.

Scientists are continuing to examine the precise chain of events that unleashed the disaster.

For context, an initial analysis of Planet Labs satellite imagery indicated that a landslide of ice and rock unleashed a flood carrying debris into the Lhende River, around 20 kilometres (12 miles) northeast of the Nepal-China Rasuwagadhi border crossing. Dangerous lake raises further reservations in Tibet.

Chinese authorities have identified another potential danger at the disaster site: a still-dammed lake in Gyirong upstream from the mudslide and flood-hit Tibet-Nepal border crossing.

CCTV documented that the lake poses a significant risk and could further complicate rescue operations in the mountainous region.

Gyirong is home to the main border crossing applied by tourists and traffic travelling between China and Nepal.

Chinese state media had documented "major casualties" shortly after the mudslide struck the shared border on Wednesday. Helicopters deliver emergency supplies.

Nepal has mobilised more than 5, 000 army and police personnel to search for survivors, recover bodies and provide emergency assistance.

In the worst-hit districts, helicopters are dropping tents, food and other relief supplies provided by neighbouring India, according to Nepal Army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet.

Notably, the helicopters are additionally being employed to evacuate survivors from areas cut off by destroyed roads and bridges.

Individuals searching for information concerning relatives missing from Nuwakot and Dhading gathered outside a Nepali army training centre serving as the base for helicopter rescue operations.

Chitwan, a major tourism destination known for its jungle safaris, was among a number of municipalities placed on high alert as floodwaters continued to rise. Pilgrims caught in disaster.

Plenty of of those caught in the disaster were travelling on pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar, a high-altitude sacred site in Tibet revered by Hindus, Buddhists and followers of other religions.

Mount Kailash, regarded by Hindus as the abode of Lord Shiva, stands beside Lake Mansarovar. It is additionally considered sacred in a number of faiths.

For context, the combination of religious pilgrimage routes, trekking activity and cross-border tourism created the affected Himalayan corridor particularly busy when the disaster struck. International aid and condolences.

For now, nepal floods: At least 162 killed, nearly 1, 500 missing after glacial collapse remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.