Hundreds Dead, Missing in Nepal-Tibet Floods
Barrier lake overflows near border, trapping Chinese emergency services and complicating search for over 550 missing, including foreign nationals.
Carla Rooney
Flooding in Nepal and Tibet killed hundreds and left hundreds more missing on Wednesday.
Its debris maintained momentum through the valley, a torrent of water and mud sweeping through communities.
The United States Geological Survey attributed a magnitude 5.2 seismic event near the Nepal-China border on Wednesday to this glacial collapse and debris flow.
Satellite imagery confirms the Trishuli River has widened significantly, now choked with debris, submerging towns and villages along its banks.
Nepalese officials confirmed destroyed bridges and nearly 25 miles of damaged roads; the popular tourist town of Syapru Besi was reportedly devastated, with buildings swept away.
Damaged hydropower infrastructure has left some areas without electricity, while Nepal army helicopter rescue teams work to rescue approximately 100 people trapped inside a tunnel at a hydropower project.
Nepal's rescue operations have been suspended due to a glacial debris lake overflowing across the border in Tibet, with Nepali police confirming signs of a second flood as river water began to rise.
Officials anticipate three million cubic metres of water will flow into the lake between Thursday and Saturday; the barrier lake has already started to overflow.
Officials claim this barrier lake, formed at the confluence of the Tsogyal and Purupqiangzangbu rivers, could burst.
More than 550 individuals, including foreigners, are missing on the Tibet side of the border; Chinese authorities have confirmed only three deaths in Tibet.
Chinese emergency services are reportedly stuck approximately 7km from Gyirong Port due to the overflowing lake, and emergency teams in Tibet received orders to withdraw one kilometer.
Light to moderate rain across the Gyirong border crossing has loosened soil and destabilised rocks around the vulnerable upstream area.
Authorities are deploying helicopters to search for survivors and drop emergency supplies.
Among the missing are 33 British nationals, prompting the UK government to pledge £5 million in emergency aid.
Alton Byers claims the flooding is related to climate change; scientists assert climate change increases the likelihood of such disasters.
Scientists indicated that Glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region lost ice 65% faster between 2011 and 2020 than in the previous decade.
Scientists indicated that glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region lost ice 65% faster between 2011 and 2020 than in the previous decade.
Water levels at the lake in Tibet are expected to rise further over the next three days due to continued rainfall.