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Nepal-Tibet Floods Leave 160 Dead, Hundreds Missing
🇵🇦 Panama /Disasters & Emergencies

Nepal-Tibet Floods Leave 160 Dead, Hundreds Missing

From TVN Panamá · () Spanish

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

At a glance

News Sources not specified Ongoing story
  • Sudden floods and landslides on the Nepal-Tibet border have killed at least 160 people, with hundreds still missing.
  • Many of the missing are foreign tourists, and entire villages have been swept away by the disaster.
  • Rescue efforts are underway in the mountainous region, but the death toll is expected to rise as search operations continue.

Rescue teams scrambled Thursday to locate hundreds of missing individuals along the Nepal-Tibet border following devastating flash floods and landslides that have claimed at least 160 lives. Authorities report that numerous foreign tourists are among the missing as the disaster has obliterated entire villages.

Eyewitness accounts paint a grim picture of the destruction. Suman Chalise, a 34-year-old teacher in the Nepali town of Nuwakot, described witnessing waters carrying away trucks, houses, and people. "It was absolutely heartbreaking... I witnessed a devastation of such magnitude that I had never seen anything like it," he recounted.

I saw how the waters swept away eight or nine trucks, as well as houses and people.

— Suman ChaliseA local resident describing the destructive force of the floods.

Surveillance footage from the Chinese side of the border captured a terrifying torrent of mud and debris crashing into a multi-story building on Wednesday morning. The avalanche engulfed the structure as people desperately fled for safety, while buses and cars were swept away like toys by the raging waters.

It was absolutely heartbreaking... I witnessed a devastation of such magnitude that I had never seen anything like it.

— Suman ChaliseExpressing the profound impact of the disaster.

Chinese state media initially reported "numerous victims" before a preliminary toll of three dead and 265 missing. Nepal's police confirmed recovering 157 bodies, with rescuers continuing their search in the difficult terrain of the Himalayas. Official Chinese media indicated that victim data was still being verified.

In response, Tibetan government authorities deployed approximately 800 emergency workers and 150 vehicles, along with search dogs and speedboats. Rescuers are navigating through thick mud, searching for survivors in areas where lower floors of buildings have been submerged. According to Nepal's Ministry of Tourism, around 403 tourists, including 341 foreigners, remain unaccounted for. The missing foreigners include 142 Indians and individuals from Australia, the UK, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea, Ukraine, and the United States.

Entire villages and market areas were swept away.

— David FisherDirector for Nepal of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) describing the scale of destruction.
About this summary

Originally published by TVN Panamá in Spanish. 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.

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