Nepal-Tibet floods: Death toll nears 400, over 1,400 missing

Rescue teams are desperately searching for over 1,400 people missing after flash floods and landslides devastated the Nepal-Tibet border region. The death toll has climbed to 392, with entire villages submerged and swept away by a torrent of mud and debris.

Experts warn of further risks as the disaster, described as an "inland tsunami," unleashed a wall of freezing water and mud. The US Geological Survey identified a glacial collapse as the cause, a phenomenon increasingly linked to global climate change and melting glaciers. Homes were engulfed, bridges smashed, and vehicles tossed aside like toys.

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It is a giant graveyard. All that is left are sand and pebbles, soaked red by human blood.

Many of the missing are foreign tourists, including trekkers in Nepal and pilgrims heading to Mount Kailash in Tibet. Nepali police have recovered 389 bodies, while 910 people, including 517 foreign tourists, remain out of contact in Nepal. China has reported three deaths and 558 missing in Tibet, including 260 foreigners.

Omkar Joshi, a rescued customs agent, described the scene as a "giant graveyard," with only sand and pebbles remaining, stained red by human blood. Prime Minister Balendra Shah has urged national unity and ordered immediate relief for displaced families and the opening of blocked roads. Environmental historian Ruth Gamble noted the mud and debris traveled nearly 170km south into Nepal.

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like an inland tsunami