1,500 Missing After Glacial Collapse Triggers Catastrophic Floods in Tibet & Nepal

Nearly 1,500 people, including at least 800 foreigners, are missing across Nepal and China's Tibet, authorities said on Thursday, after a wall of mud and rock collapsed into a Himalayan river, sending catastrophic floods through towns and valleys.

"The toll will certainly go up, as we have resumed the search and more bodies are expected to be recovered," police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle told Reuters.

Among the missing tourists from more than two dozen countries, 177 were from India, including 37 NRIs, while 63 were from the United States, 34 from Australia, 33 from Britain and 25 from Canada. Nineteen Malaysians and eight Koreans were also among those missing.

Frighteningly, as many as 33 bodies were found 150 km downstream at Chitwan, underlining how far the deadly waters had carried victims.

The number missing in Tibet's Gyirong county stood at 558, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said on Thursday, including 260 foreign nationals.

Verified videos showed crushing masses of water and debris sweeping away dozens of people at a border crossing in Gyirong, while homes, roads and power projects were washed away further downstream in Nepal.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) initially recorded what it believed was a magnitude 4.4 earthquake early on Wednesday, about 66 kilometres north of Kathmandu near the Nepal-China border.

It later revised its assessment, saying the seismic activity was caused by a magnitude 5.2 glacial collapse rather than an earthquake.

The agency said its conclusion was based on data from nearby seismic stations, long-period seismic waves and satellite imagery.

The collapse sent ice, rock and debris hurtling downstream, triggering a sudden surge that caused unprecedented "catastrophic" damage to communities in the valleys below.

Climate experts also identified an ice-rock avalanche from a glacier as the likely trigger for the floods.

Before-and-after satellite imagery of the region from Planet Labs, reviewed by Reuters, showed a lush green mountainside now buried under brown debris and sediment.

Rescuers from India, the United States and China have rushed to Kathmandu with relief and emergency medical supplies.

Likely Cause of the Catastrophe

"It’s confirmed that a substantial portion of that glacier snout collapsed to initiate the event — probably including or entraining a fair amount of rock and sediment," said Vikram Gupta, who specialises in engineering geology and teaches at India's Sikkim University.

Earth scientist Dan Shugar, an associate professor at the University of Calgary, said the imagery appeared to show that a large amount of snow had melted in the 24 hours before the disaster.

"Some of the glaciers in the valley were covered in snow yesterday and today they are mostly bare ice. So, in other words, it was probably warm," he said. "The lower part of a glacier broke off at about 5,200 metres and crashed onto the valley floor about 1,200 metres below."

Nepal's snow-capped mountains had lost close to one-third of their ice in just over 30 years due to global warming, the United Nations said in 2023. The agency added that glaciers in Nepal, wedged between two major carbon emitters — India and China — had melted 65% faster in the previous decade than in the one before.

An initial study of Planet Labs satellite imagery showed that a landslide of ice and rock unleashed a debris-laden flood in the Lhende River, about 20 km northeast of the Nepal-China Rasuwagadhi border crossing, Nepal disaster management officials said on X.

Water levels in the Trishuli River rose by as much as nine metres in just half an hour. Television images showed collapsed homes, floating cars and a metal bridge being washed away, while witnesses said the waters engulfed entire villages.

"There is devastation everywhere we look," said Tula Bahadur BK, a health worker in Rasuwa.

"The settlements next to the river have been completely swept away. Five of my own relatives are missing."

China's official Xinhua news agency said the mudslide hit the Gyirong port, cutting roads, communications and power links in the border region of Shigatse.

A rescuer told state broadcaster CCTV of fruitless attempts to make contact with the Gyirong border port, saying: "So far there haven't been any results."

"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," said Saswata Sanyal, a disaster risk reduction specialist.

Kailash Manas Sarovar Pilgrims Missing

Many of those caught in the disaster were Kailash Manas Sarovar pilgrims, with nearly 400, including Indians, several from West Bengal, preparing to cross the Nepal-Tibet border or travelling through the region when the floods struck with little warning. The waters swept through steep valleys that serve as important travel and economic corridors.

At least 19 bridges and nearly 40 kilometres of roads were washed away, while flooding in the Bhotekoshi River around 9 a.m. destroyed villages and hydropower projects.

"When I reached Dhunge bazaar, half an hour later the flood came and damaged the entire market. People were preparing to go to office then," resident Shoyam Rajbhandari said.

"How many people are missing or dead, we don't know."

Nepal has asked India and China to assist with rescue operations as authorities search for hundreds of missing people.

"We have asked both India and China to help us with the rescue efforts," said government spokesperson Sasmit Pokharel.

The disaster has also raised concern in several countries over missing citizens. South Korea said nine citizens working at a hydropower project were missing, while Malaysia said travel agencies had lost contact with 11 Malaysians believed to be in Rasuwa. Russian embassy said four citizens reportedly in the affected area were also missing.

PM Modi Offers Assistance

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah and offered India's assistance with rescue and relief operations.

"India is prepared to provide Nepal with all possible types of humanitarian assistance. Our teams are closely coordinating on rescue and relief efforts," Modi said on social media.