Deaths mount, search ramps up for hundreds missing in Nepal flash floods

Rescue teams were searching for hundreds of missing individuals along the Nepal-China border Thursday after a catastrophic and deadly torrent of floods and mud swept through a number of communities a day earlier after a glacial collapse.

Key points

• Researchers in Kathmandu discovered earlier this year that glaciers throughout the Hindu Kush Himalaya region are melting faster, with ice loss rates doubling since 2000.
• Chinese state broadcaster CCTV separately documented that 558 residents were missing in Tibet – 260 of them foreigners – and two villagers were rescued.
• Geological Survey first documented a magnitude 4.4 earthquake early Wednesday, concerning 41 miles north of Kathmandu, near the border.
• Climate experts at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development remarked an avalanche from a glacier probable caused Wednesday's flash flood.
• Authorities in Nepal had earlier stated hundreds of foreigners were documented missing, including Indian nationals on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus.

For context, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority in Nepal remarked 826 residents were missing and the death toll from the country's flash floods rose to 165 on Thursday. Nepalese authorities ramped up operations in the worst-affected districts of Nuwakot and Rasuwa.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV separately documented that 558 residents were missing in Tibet – 260 of them foreigners – and two villagers were rescued. At least three individuals were noted killed as of Thursday morning, it noted.

Hikmat Singh Ayer, CEO and senior director of Nepal's Tourism Board, informed CBS News Wednesday there were at least 33 Americans among the missing foreign nationals in the small Himalayan nation.

Flash floods decimated villages, slamming into houses, roads, bridges and power plants, CBS News' Arshad Zargar documented. Videos broadcast by regional news outlets and posted on social media show violent torrents of water surging through valleys and mountain passes, tearing down bridges and dams and sweeping away buildings.

Drone footage in Nepal on Wednesday indicated roads destroyed and buildings buried by thundering water the color of wet cement.

Notably, the region's steep valleys are economic lifelines and travel corridors but are precarious when disaster strikes. Images indicated 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. There was little time for anyone to flee.

"When I reached Dhunge bazaar, in half an hour, the flood came and damaged all the market. Individuals were preparing to go to office then, " resident Shoyam Rajbhandari stated. "How many people are missing or dead, we don't know." Search and rescue efforts intensify.

Since early morning, army and private helicopters have been deployed. The Nepalese army rescued more than 100 individuals from flood-affected areas through helicopter operations Thursday, army spokesperson Brigadier General Raja Ram Basnet stated.

At least eight foreign nationals were airlifted to Kathmandu, he remarked, adding that army teams additionally evacuated individuals trapped inside facilities linked to the Trishuli hydropower project.

Rescuers discovered bodies concerning 62 miles downstream from the disaster zone in Chitwan district. Dozens of injured individuals have been transported to the country's capital, Kathmandu, for advanced medical care.

In Tibet, a mudslide that struck near the land border crossing of Gyirong Port on Wednesday left mud in the surrounding areas more than five feet deep on average, with some road sections exceeding six feet, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV documented Thursday. While communication was cut off, it remarked, roads leading to the port were all damaged. With light rain continuing in the area, secondary collapses or landslides may occur, it continued.

CCTV remarked a barrier lake has additionally been discovered in the direction of the port, posing challenges to the rescue operation. Chinese authorities deployed a sizeable military transport aircraft to send a team to the region, it stated.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed U.S. Solidarity with the Nepali individuals, saying in a social media post that his department "stands ready to support the government of Nepal with needed humanitarian assistance."

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 remarked the State Department is closely monitoring the situation and sending an adviser to the region to assist with response efforts as well as a $500, 000 grant to Catholic Relief Services.

Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama remarked Thursday that he was praying for all those killed in devastating floods in Nepal and Tibet, French news agency AFP noted. "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 remarked in an official note. Glacier collapse, not earthquake, seen as catastrophe's cause.

Notably, the U.S. Geological Survey first documented a magnitude 4.4 earthquake early Wednesday, concerning 41 miles north of Kathmandu, near the border. The USGS afterwards updated its analysis to say the seismic event it measured was a magnitude 5.2 glacial collapse that sent debris flowing downstream with catastrophic impact on communities. It remarked its determination was based on data from nearby seismic stations, long period seismic waves and satellite imagery, and that no earthquake had occurred.

"Hydrological observations indicate the exceptional speed and magnitude of the flood wave, " they remarked in an emailed statement, noting that water levels at one point on the Trishuli river rose by as much as 27 feet over half an hour.

Meanwhile, the Lhende Khola River, a tributary of the Bhotekoshi, had maximum flooding, they remarked. Climate change's threat to region increasing.

"The Lhende Khola has flooded twice in 14 months, this time triggered by an ice rock avalanche from a glacier on the Nepal side that blocked the river and released a sudden surge downstream, " remarked Saswata Sanyal, a disaster risk reduction specialist at the climate research group. He observed the importance of early warnings in "a warming Himalaya."

Himalayan glaciers melting faster than ever, scientists say it's "going to affect us" all.

In practice, 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 throughout one of the world's most densely populated regions.

When a glacial lake in Tibet overflowed since of high temperatures, it saw similar flash floods in August last year. Nine individuals were killed, and critical infrastructure, including a bridge connecting Nepal and China, was damaged.

Notably, the Himalayan mountain range spans a number of countries in South Asia and has numerous of the world's highest peaks and remaining glaciers.

In practice, the steep slopes and the lush valleys below the Himalayan mountain range are especially vulnerable to flooding and landslides, and extreme weather events like intense monsoons and melting glaciers have become more common since of warming due to human-caused climate change.

Researchers in Kathmandu discovered earlier this year that glaciers throughout 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. Videos show devastating mudslides in Nepal after flash floods.

For now, deaths mount, search ramps up for hundreds missing in Nepal flash floods remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.