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Nepal floods kill 8; China reports 'major casualties' in Tibet mudslide
🇵🇰 Pakistan /Disasters & Emergencies

Nepal floods kill 8; China reports 'major casualties' in Tibet mudslide

From Dawn · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Flooding in Nepal has killed eight people, with Chinese state media reporting "major casualties" from a mudslide in Tibet.
  • Torrential water swept away houses and trucks in Nepal's Himalayan districts bordering China.
  • The disaster damaged significant hydropower and solar production capacity, disrupting electricity supply.

Eight people died in Nepal on Wednesday due to massive flooding, while Chinese state media reported "major casualties" from a mudslide on the Tibetan side of the shared border.

So far, eight bodies have been found. Rescue operations are underway.

— Abi Narayan KafleNepal police spokesman, providing an update on the death toll and ongoing rescue efforts.

Nepali police shared images of floodwaters surging through rivers, destroying houses. AFP images showed the upper floor of a house submerged in mud. "So far, eight bodies have been found. Rescue operations are underway," said Nepal police spokesman Abi Narayan Kafle.

Videos circulating on social media depicted muddy torrents crashing through mountain valleys in the Himalayan district. Suman Chalise, a 34-year-old teacher in Nuwakot district, described witnessing the flood sweep away trucks, houses, and people, calling it "absolutely heart-wrenching" and unlike any devastation he had seen before.

I witnessed the flood sweep away eight or nine trucks, along with houses and people. It was absolutely heart-wrenching. I had not witnessed such devastation before.

— Suman ChaliseA 34-year-old teacher in Nuwakot district, describing the destructive power of the flood.

Authorities alerted riverside residents to relocate as the Nepal Army deployed helicopters and disaster response teams. The Nepal Electricity Authority reported damage to approximately 430 megawatts of production capacity from hydropower and solar facilities, leading to electricity supply disruptions.

We believe a rock-ice avalanche occurred in Nepal, blocking the Lhende River and causing the cascading flood event.

— Sarthak ShresthaRemote sensing and geo-information analyst at ICIMOD, offering a preliminary assessment of the flood's cause.

A preliminary assessment by Sarthak Shrestha, an analyst at Kathmandu-based ICIMOD, indicated "no anomalies" on the Chinese side of the border. He suggested a rock-ice avalanche in Nepal likely blocked the Lhende River, triggering the flood event. Several highways were closed, and traffic authorities in Tibet's Shigatse warned of mudslide risks on local roads.

the most urgent task is doing everything possible to search for and rescue the missing people … quickly treat injured people and minimise casualties to the greatest extent possible

— Xi JinpingChinese President, urging "all-out" rescue operations in Tibet following the mudslide.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dawn in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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