A wall of ice, mud and rock collapsed into a Himalayan river at the Nepal-China border near Tibet on Wednesday morning, triggering catastrophic floods that swallowed roads, bridges, houses, and power projects across at least six districts, killing 160 people and leaving at least 750 others unaccounted for.
Indians formed the largest chunk of foreigners unaccounted for – 133 Indians and 37 non-resident Indians – and most of them were Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrims. At least 37 of them were travelling under the banner of one travel operator from Tamil Nadu, officials said. The death toll was expected to rise in the still-unfolding disaster.
China’s state broadcaster CCTV said a mudslide in the Tibet’s Gyirong County near the border killed at least three and left 265 missing.
Officials sounded high alert across seven districts in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh as water-level surges were expected in Gandak, Ghaghara, Rapti and Kosi rivers by late night.
“Spoke to Prime Minister Balendra Shah and conveyed condolences on the loss of lives due to the floods in Nepal. The people of India stand in solidarity with their sisters and brothers in Nepal at this difficult time,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X.
“India is ready to provide all possible humanitarian assistance to Nepal. Our teams are coordinating closely on rescue and relief efforts,” he added.
How the disaster struck
The disaster started at around 8.22am local time on Wednesday, when a 4.4 magnitude earthquake struck Tibet, triggering a surge down the Bhotekoshi river from Tibet minutes later. Within hours, tributaries Trishuli, Kali Gandaki and Narayani were swelling with columns of water that smashed through Gyirong Port, a major land crossing with neighbouring Tibet, cutting roads, communications, and power links to the area.
The department of hydrology and meteorology suspected that the cause of the deluge was a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) originating in Tibet.
“It was a huge gush of mud coming straight towards us. As it got closer, it kept rising higher and higher. When I saw it enter our home, I tried to grab my wife’s hand and take her to the terrace. But she was swept away by the mud,” Keshav Prasad Baral, a 68-year-old survivor, told Reuters.
“Four or five hours later, a helicopter came to rescue me. My wife is still somewhere beneath the mud. She’s gone.”
Nepal tourism joint secretary Jai Narayan Acharya said 398 people were not in touch with tour operators – including 133 Indians and 59 Nepalese.
“They may have shifted to safer or higher areas. Most of the missing people were on three different treks or yatra – Kailash Mansarovar, langtang trek and Gosaikunda trek,” he said.
Among the worst hit was the Rasuwa district – 125km northeast of Kathmandu – where videos showed a torrent of mud and water engulfing the Rasuwagadhi checkpost at the Nepal-China Border. Scores can be seen running away first, apparently at the sound of the approaching mudslide.
Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah urged unity. “The pain and loss you have suffered is not small. But I want to assure you that you are not alone in this difficult time — the state is with you with all its means and resources,” Shah said in a statement.
Nepali officials aware of the matter said the districts worst affected were Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Gorkha, Dhading, Chitwan, Tanahu and Nawalparasi East.
The India Meteorological Department warned that the flood wave was advancing rapidly downstream. “High water levels are projected to converge at the Marshyangdi confluence at Mugling and push into the main Narayani (Gandak) channel,” it said in a release.
Officials and agencies in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Uttarakhand were on high alert and started evacuating people from vulnerable areas in their border districts.
Among the people unaccounted for were scores of pilgrims for the holy Kailash Mansarovar Yatra — which follows the route in Rasuwa district bordering Tibet’s Gyirong.
Samrat Tours and Travels owner Syed Sadiq said 57 from Tamil Nadu left for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra on August 23.
“They all boarded a single flight from Chennai to Delhi, and from Delhi to Kathmandu. On Wednesday morning, the pilgrims travelled in three buses led by three different guides, for the yatra. Around 9 am, after hearing a sound like an explosion, one bus managed to escape the sudden flash flood but when they turned back to see the other vehicles, one bus was seen rolling down into a gorge,” he told reporters.
He said 21 people travelling in one bus were safe but the condition of the remaining people in two other buses was not known. Among them was Sadiq’s son Syed Farooque.
Isha Foundation founder Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev said 77 pilgrims from the foundation were missing. “A terrible and tragic flash flood has taken place at Gyirong in Tibet – China, and one of our Kailash groups was caught in it. While on their way back, they were at the immigration office when the flood occurred and the building and much of the town seems to have been flooded,” he said on X.
The National Disaster Response Force said it is on “high alert” in the eventuality of the flash floods impacting border towns in India.
