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Gigantic, sudden flash floods in a border area of Nepal and China on Wednesday left at least 160 dead and hundreds of tourists, workers, and other people missing, while also wiping out communities and paralyzing travel in parts of the Himalayan country. Experts said that an avalanche originating from a glacier was the probable cause in the Himalayan region amidst global warming.
Police in Nepal reported at least 157 deaths. State broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) said a landslide in Gyirong County, in the Tibet region near the border, left at least three dead and 265 missing. Drone footage showed destroyed roads and buried buildings. State news agency Xinhua reported numerous casualties.
Nepal's steep valleys are economic lifelines and travel corridors, but they are precarious when disaster strikes. Images showed what appeared to be the second floors of buildings in the Nuwakot district covered in mud after the torrent passed. Debris hung from tree branches and cables, vehicles were buried, and stunned survivors were covered in mud.
Many of those missing were on a pilgrimage to a sacred site in Nepal.
Officials in Nepal stated that 403 people were reported missing, including 341 foreigners. Sunil Sharma, a spokesperson for the Nepal Tourism Board, reported that 133 of the missing were from India on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, a sacred site for Hindus. Also missing were 47 from the United States, 34 from Australia, 33 from the United Kingdom, and 24 from Canada, he said. The State Department indicated that it was aware of Americans affected.
At least 62 missing Nepalese were among hundreds of locals who were hiking at Gosaikunda Lake in Rasuwa, coinciding with the Nepalese festival of Janai Purnima on Friday, Sharma added. Nepal Police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle told The Associated Press that at least 28 police officers were among the missing.
Authorities issued warnings to residents of several districts in Nepal and asked them to stay away from the banks of the Bhotekoshi, Trishuli, and Narayani rivers. The Bhotekoshi River overflowed around 9 a.m. on Wednesday and destroyed several villages, as well as hydroelectric projects, according to officials. At least 19 bridges were swept away.
“We have asked both India and China to help us in the rescue efforts,” noted Sasmit Pokharel, a spokesperson for the Nepalese government.
The United States Geological Survey reported a 4.4 magnitude earthquake early Wednesday, about 66 kilometers (41 miles) north of Kathmandu, near the border. Later, the USGS updated the information and classified it as a 5.2 magnitude landslide.
Although the current monsoon season is less favorable for hiking in Nepal, it is an important season for trekking to Kailash in Tibet, which follows the route in the Nepalese district of Rasuwa that borders Gyirong, in Tibet.
Countries express alarm over missing citizens.
Authorities from South Korea noted that nine of their citizens who were working on the construction of a hydroelectric plant in Nepal were among the missing. The Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stated that its embassy in Kathmandu has received reports from travel agencies that they had lost contact with 11 Malaysians in the Rasuwa district. The Russian Embassy in Nepal noted that four citizens in the affected area were missing.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah and offered assistance. “India is ready to provide Nepal with all possible humanitarian assistance. Our teams are closely coordinating rescue and relief efforts,” Modi assured on social media.
Some United Nations agencies were deploying “in an effort to address what will clearly be a massive humanitarian need,” stated UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
In a joint statement, Australia, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Finland, France, Norway, and Switzerland expressed solidarity with the people affected in Nepal, adding: “We encourage everyone in the affected areas to follow the guidance of local authorities and official security warnings as the situation continues to evolve.”
The same region recorded flash floods last year.
Climate experts at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, based in Kathmandu, noted that an avalanche from a glacier likely caused Wednesday's flash flood.
“Hydrological observations indicate the exceptional speed and magnitude of the flood wave,” they expressed in an emailed statement, noting that water levels at one point on the Trishuli River rose up to 9 meters (27 feet) in half an hour.
The Lhende Khola River, a tributary of the Bhotekoshi River, recorded its maximum flood level, they noted.
“The Lhende Khola has flooded twice in fourteen months; this time the trigger was an ice and rock avalanche from a glacier on the Nepalese side that blocked the river and released a sudden surge downstream,” explained Saswata Sanyal, a disaster risk reduction specialist at the climate research group.
He pointed out the importance of early warnings in “a warming Himalayas.”
The same regions affected by Wednesday's disaster recorded similar flash floods in August of last year, when a glacial lake in neighboring Tibet overflowed as a result of high temperatures in the mountainous region. Nine people lost their lives and damage was reported to critical infrastructure, including a bridge that connects Nepal and China.
The Himalayan region, which crosses Nepal and several nearby countries, including India, is especially vulnerable to heavy rains, floods, and landslides because it is warming faster than the rest of the planet due to human-induced climate change. Research has shown that extreme weather events, including heatwaves and rains, as well as glacier melting, have become more frequent in the region.
Researchers in Kathmandu found earlier this year that glaciers throughout the Hindu Kush Himalaya region are melting at an accelerated rate, with ice loss rates having doubled since 2000, mainly due to rising global temperatures and climate change.
[Publicidad]