Nepal-Tibet flash floods kill 95, 384 tourists missing
65 victims are being treated in Kathmandu, while land access, power and communications to Gyirong remain cut off.
Flash floods and landslides along the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday (26/8) killed at least 95 people, while 384 tourists and travelers were still reported missing. Nepali authorities said 291 of them were foreign tourists from India, the United States, Britain, South Korea, Malaysia, Australia and the Netherlands. In Nepal, water from the Bhote Koshi River hit villages in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts before flowing into the Trishuli River system. On the China side, landslides struck the Gyirong Port area in Xizang and cut roads, communications and electricity supply. The government of Nepal is treating 65 victims in Kathmandu and has deployed soldiers, police, helicopters and medical teams. Shisir Khanal said the disaster was triggered by a magnitude 4.4 earthquake that set off ice and rock avalanches on the Lhende Khola River.