By Arthur Zhang
Contributing Writer
At least 350 people have been confirmed dead and more than 1,000 people, including foreign tourists, remain missing, China and Nepal said on Thursday, nearly 24 hours after a wall of water, mud and rock tore through the Nepal-Tibet border region, sweeping away homes, roads, and bridges, and cutting off communities in Himalayan valleys.
The U.S. Geological Survey identified that a glacial collapse and debris flow were responsible for the “subsequent catastrophic impacts downstream” near the Nepal-China border.
The agency initially reported the event as a magnitude 4.4 earthquake.
“Additional analysis of nearby seismic stations, long period seismic waves, and satellite imagery led to the determination that the seismic event was instead a glacial collapse and debris flow, and that no earthquake had occurred,” the USGS said in a Wednesday update.
In Nepal, a total of 359 bodies have been recovered as of 5 p.m. local time on Thursday, according to local media outlet The Kathmandu Post, citing Nepal police.
About 644 travelers, including foreign nationals and Nepali citizens, remain missing, according to a Thursday update from the Nepal Tourism Board on X.
Among the missing foreigners from 32 countries were 65 Americans, 35 Australians, 33 U.K. nationals and 25 Canadians.
In a separate social media update, the Indian foreign ministry said that 285 Indian nationals could not be contacted.
Across the border, Chinese officials said the flash flood had killed three in Gyirong county, Tibet, as of 8 a.m. local time on Thursday, according to Chinese state media Xinhua.
About 558 people remain missing on the Chinese side of the border, including 260 foreign nationals, local officials told a press conference, according to Xinhua.
The U.S. government said its embassy in Kathmandu is working closely with local authorities to assist U.S. citizens in the affected areas. The U.S. State Department said it was deploying a disaster response adviser to the region and promised to provide $500,000 in emergency assistance to flood-affected communities.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed solidarity with Nepal in a post on X.
The department “stands ready to support the government of Nepal with needed humanitarian assistance,” he said.
CCTV footage from Gyirong Port shows people running moments before a surge of mud, water and debris sweeps through the border facility.
Hundreds out of Contact
The flood tore through communities along Nepal’s Bhote Koshi river system in Rasuwa district before surging farther downstream.
Acting Tourism Board chief Hikmat Singh Ayer said the 403 travelers had been traveling with tour companies toward Gosaikunda and Kailash Mansarovar. Tourism police, local authorities and security agencies were working to locate them.
Nepal Police, in a late-night update, said 41 injured people were receiving treatment, and 3,391 police personnel had been mobilized.
Search and rescue teams were deployed across Rasuwa and downstream districts for evacuations, searches, recovery of bodies, and relief work.
A Nepal Police rescue update said specialized personnel, medical teams, search dogs and drones were being used in affected areas.
The disaster also cut off police officers stationed along the river corridor. Public Service Broadcasting Nepal reported earlier that 26 officers at Timure, Syaphrubesi, Simle and Mailung had lost contact.
Gyirong Port Cut Off
Across the border in Tibet, the disaster devastated Gyirong Port, one of the principal land crossings between Tibet and Nepal.
China’s Ministry of Emergency Management said roads, electricity and communications to the crossing were severed after the mudslide struck the border area.
Chinese authorities initially stated only that the disaster had caused major casualties and left people missing. The Gyirong forward command later put the toll at three dead and 265 missing. It said the figures were preliminary and casualty numbers were still being verified.
The road from Gyirong town toward the border was closed in both directions after mud and debris made travel unsafe. A local traffic notice barred vehicles other than those involved in emergency and rescue work.
Tibet’s emergency authorities mobilized hundreds of rescue personnel, vehicles, search dogs, boats and life detection equipment.
The regional government activated its highest-level natural-disaster response. At the national level, the Ministry of Emergency Management and China’s disaster relief commission activated a Level II emergency response.
The Ministry of Emergency Management said 30,000 emergency items, including tents, folding beds and clothing, were being sent to the area.
Roads and Bridges Washed Away
On the Nepal side, flooding heavily damaged Syaphrubesi, Timure and surrounding communities.
Homes, roads, bridges and other infrastructure were damaged as authorities warned residents to stay away from rivers and slopes vulnerable to further landslides.
Rasuwa’s chief district officer said five helicopters — three privately operated aircraft and two Nepal Army helicopters — were deployed for rescue operations.
Nepal Police sent a nine-member medical team from the Nepal Police Hospital toward Rasuwa with an ambulance and emergency supplies.
Damage to roads and bridges connecting Rasuwagadhi with the rest of Nepal complicated access to communities closest to the border.
Nepal Police said its teams were carrying out searches, evacuations, body recovery, and relief operations while authorities urged residents in vulnerable areas to stay away from riverbanks and unstable slopes.
The immediate danger has not passed.
Meteorological authorities in Tibet’s Gyirong County, China, forecast continuing rain through Sunday, including heavier rain in some lower elevation areas.
The local forecast warned of continued risk of flash floods, mudslides and landslides. Weather officials said forecasts for the rescue area were being updated every two hours.
Dorothy Li contributed to this report.
