DistantNews
Support us
🇧🇪 Belgium /Disasters & Emergencies

At least 165 dead and over 1,000 missing: toll rises after sudden floods in Nepal and Tibet

From VRT NWS · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Sudden floods and landslides in Nepal near the Tibetan border have killed at least 165 people and left over 1,000 missing.
  • Hundreds of foreigners are among the missing, with Belgian authorities unable to contact three citizens.
  • The disaster has swept away villages, roads, and bridges, with the exact scale still unclear due to difficult access.

Sudden floods and landslides have devastated villages along the Nepal-Tibet border, leaving at least 165 people dead and over 1,000 missing. The disaster, which struck nearly 24 hours ago, has swept away entire communities, roads, and bridges. Hundreds of foreigners are among the missing, highlighting the international impact of the tragedy.

For the time being, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in our country has not been able to establish contact with 3 compatriots in the area.

— Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis quote highlights the immediate concern for missing citizens following the disaster.

The Nepalese Ministry of Tourism reports at least 162 deaths and 823 missing in districts like Rasuwa, including 579 tourists. Of these tourists, 393 are foreign nationals. On the Tibetan side, in the Gyirong region, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reports 3 deaths and 558 missing, with 260 foreigners among them. The Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed 15 Belgians were in the affected area, with contact yet to be established with three of them.

According to the Nepalese Ministry of Tourism, at least 162 people have lost their lives in the Rasuwa district and other districts.

— Nepalese Ministry of TourismThis statement provides specific casualty figures from the Nepalese side of the disaster zone.

The full extent of the devastation remains unclear due to the remote and difficult-to-access nature of the affected region. Images from surveillance cameras show the immense force of water, mud, and rock that tore through the area, completely obliterating infrastructure. A border crossing between Nepal and Tibet was swallowed by the disaster.

At least 823 people are missing, including 579 tourists. Among those tourists are 393 people of foreign nationality.

— Nepalese Ministry of TourismThis detail underscores the significant number of foreign tourists affected by the floods.

Initial theories suggested a landslide caused the floods. However, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported no earthquake activity at the time. Instead, seismic vibrations measured could indicate the collapse of a glacier high in the Himalayas, triggering an ice avalanche. Experts are working to reconstruct the events to determine the definitive cause, a process that may take time, especially given cloudy conditions hindering satellite imagery interpretation.

According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, 3 deaths have occurred in the Gyirong region on the Tibetan side.

— Chinese state broadcaster CCTVThis quote provides the official death toll reported by Chinese authorities in the affected Tibetan area.
About this summary

Originally published by VRT NWS in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog