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Rescue teams are searching this Thursday for at least 1,468 missing people on the border between Nepal and the Chinese autonomous region of Tibet, following sudden floods and landslides that left at least 392 dead and entire villages razed.
More than 24 hours after the catastrophe, an expert warned of the risk of further flooding after a surge of overwhelming force, similar to a tsunami, swept through entire villages, swallowing houses and knocking down bridges and dams.
A terrifying surveillance video taken from the Chinese side shows how, on Wednesday morning, a torrent of mud and debris engulfed a multi-story building while dozens of people ran for their lives.
Authorities in Nepal have recovered the bodies of 389 people, and there are 910 missing, including 517 foreign tourists.
On the Chinese side, in the Tibet region, where access to the foreign press is restricted, state media reported three deaths due to the disaster caused by "mudslides" at the Gyirong border crossing and reported that 558 people are missing, including 260 foreigners.
The destructive torrent of water and mud was triggered by a partial glacier collapse, with such violence that it was registered as a magnitude 5.2 "seismic event," according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Scientists state that climate change is causing glaciers to melt worldwide, which increases the risk of flooding.
- "Nepal, a giant cemetery" -
The flash flood swept through the Trishuli River valley in Nepal, in the Nuwakot district north of Kathmandu, and the Bhote Koshi valley, east of the capital.
"Everything is over," 35-year-old Omkar Joshi, who took refuge in the hills of the Nepalese town of Timure, told AFP. "It is nothing more than a giant cemetery now. All that remains is sand and stones soaked in human blood."
The flood hit Syabrubesi, the starting point for the popular Langtang hiking trail, as well as other areas used by travelers for the Hindu pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar.
In Syabrubesi, 27-year-old Laloma told AFP that she spent the entire night in a school with about a hundred other people.
"The rest of (the town) is gone," she stated.
Among the missing foreigners are dozens of Hindu pilgrims who were heading to Mount Kailash, the sacred and snow-capped mountain in Tibet.
According to the preliminary count from the Nepal Tourism Board, authorities still have no news of 178 citizens from India, 90 from the United States, 53 from Ukraine, 51 from Malaysia, 35 from Australia, 33 from the United Kingdom, and 25 from Canada. Spain has stated that four of its citizens are unaccounted for.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry indicated for its part that there were about 100 Chinese citizens missing on the Nepalese side.
Both Chinese Premier Li Qiang and his Nepalese counterpart, Balendra Shah, traveled to the affected areas to oversee search and rescue efforts, according to Chinese state media and the Nepalese leader's office, respectively.
- Risk of new floods -
The Chinese government mobilized nearly 800 rescuers in the Tibet autonomous region, in addition to search dogs and speedboats to speed up rescue operations, reported the official news agency Xinhua.
However, the work is difficult in a mountainous area, and Li Qipu, a member of the People's Armed Police, a Chinese paramilitary force, noted that "the instability of an upstream dammed lake" and "the narrow mountain road" are complicating rescue efforts.
In Nepal, rescuers are trying to clear a path through mud and debris in search of survivors.
Among those looking for their relatives was Subash Khatani, who told AFP that he was trying to find his brother.
"He is among the missing from (the district of) Rasuwa, that is why we went out to look for him," he declared.
The Red Cross has launched an emergency appeal to raise 31 million dollars.
The Kathmandu flood forecasting agency issued a "special alert" this Thursday regarding the formation of a growing lake behind the debris left by the landslides.
Qianggong Zhang, head of climate and environmental risks at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), based in Kathmandu, pointed out to AFP that there is a risk of a second surge due to "a blockage in the upper part of the border river between Nepal and China."
[Publicidad]