Nearly 1,000 missing in Tibet, Nepal in catastrophic glacial floods

Glacial collapse-induced Floods in wreak havoc to Nepal and Tibet, AP Photo

A glacial collapse and massive flash floods along the Nepal-China border have killed at least 165 people and left 961 others missing, including hundreds of foreign tourists and pilgrims, officials said Thursday.

China’s media reported that mudslides in Tibet triggered by a glacial collapse killed three people and left 558 missing. Meida noted that 260 of those missing in Tibet are foreigners, while two local villagers have been rescued.

In Nepal, police reported at least 162 deaths from Wednesday's thundering torrents, which halted travel in the steep valleys that serve as precarious economic lifelines and travel corridors when disaster strikes. Nepali authorities reported 403 people missing, including 341 foreigners. Sunil Sharma, a tourism board spokesperson, said the missing include 133 Indian pilgrims traveling to Tibet's sacred Mount Kailash, 47 Americans, 34 Australians, 33 Britons and 24 Canadians. The U.S. State Department confirmed it is aware of affected Americans.

Drone footage showed destroyed roads and buildings buried by thundering, cement-colored water. In Nepal's hard-hit Nuwakot district, mud slathered the second floors of buildings, debris hung from tree branches and wires, vehicles were buried, and stunned survivors were caked in mud.

With little time to flee, residents were caught off guard. "When I reached Dhunge bazaar, in half an hour, the flood came and damaged all the market. People were preparing to go to office then," resident Shoyam Rajbhandari. "How many people are missing or dead, we don’t know." - AP/UNB