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🇳🇵 Nepal /Disasters & Emergencies

Nepal seeks answers on flash flood as India, China, US and World Bank offer support

From Kathmandu Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Nepal is investigating the cause of a devastating flash flood that occurred shortly after a magnitude 4.4 earthquake in Tibet.
  • Officials suspect a glacial outburst or landslide near the Nepal-China border triggered the flood, which killed several people and destroyed infrastructure.
  • International partners, including India, China, the US, and the World Bank, have offered support as Nepal seeks data from Chinese authorities and research institutions.

Nepal is grappling to understand the cause of a catastrophic flash flood that devastated communities near the Tibet border, killing an unknown number of people and leaving hundreds missing. The disaster, one of the worst since the 2015 earthquakes, struck just minutes after a magnitude 4.4 earthquake was recorded in Tibetan territory.

We, however, need to verify this.

— Shisir KhanalNepal's Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal told Parliament that the earthquake struck at 8:37 am, and the flash flood was reported three minutes later, but verification is needed.

Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal informed Parliament that while the earthquake and flood occurred in close succession, verification is ongoing. Preliminary analysis of satellite imagery suggests a glacial-rock slide along the Nepal-China border may have unleashed a debris-laden flood into the Lhende River. However, authorities in both Nepal and China remain uncertain about the precise trigger.

We suspect it may have been a glacial outburst, but that has not yet been confirmed.

— Laxmi Prasad NiraulaNepal’s consul general in Lhasa stated that while patchy information was emerging, neither Nepali nor Chinese authorities had confirmed the cause of the massive outburst.

Compounding the challenge, communication lines and internet services in the affected areas are severely disrupted. Nepal's consul general in Lhasa noted that Chinese authorities are also struggling to pinpoint the cause, with patchy information emerging. Efforts are underway to gather real-time data from Chinese officials and Nepali research centers, but bad weather has hampered scientific assessments. The lack of contact with border personnel on both sides further complicates the investigation into the outburst, which is suspected to be glacial but unconfirmed.

The Chinese are also clueless about the reason behind the outburst.

— Laxmi Prasad NiraulaNepal’s consul general in Lhasa commented on the difficulty in establishing the flood's cause, noting that Chinese officials were also uncertain.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Kathmandu Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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