A glacier collapse triggered a massive torrent of rocks, ice, mud and debris that tore through mountain river systems on Wednesday, leaving at least 626 people dead in Nepal and seven in China’s Tibet. A tourist who was recording the scenic landscape in Gyirong County, located in China’s Xizang Autonomous Region, inadvertently captured the moment a high-altitude glacier in Nepal collapsed, according to China Xinhua News.
Kang Shichang, director of the Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment under the Academy of Sciences, confirmed that the location of the glacier collapse seen in the video corresponds with remote-sensing imagery. He said the footage is believed to show the glacier collapse that triggered the mudslide at Gyirong Port.
Nepal floods
Nearly 3,000 people remain unaccounted for, including around 2,426 in Nepal and at least 554 in Tibet’s Gyirong County. The missing include at least 540 foreign nationals, many of them Indian Hindu pilgrims.
Quick answers to key questions
What triggered the recent flooding disaster in Nepal and Tibet?⌵
The recent flooding disaster was triggered by a glacier collapse in Nepal, which sent a massive torrent of rocks, ice, mud, and debris through the mountain river systems.
How many people are currently reported missing due to the Nepal floods?⌵
Currently, nearly 3,000 people are unaccounted for due to the floods, including approximately 2,426 in Nepal and at least 554 in Tibet’s Gyirong County.
Why did Nepal decline offers of foreign search and rescue assistance?⌵
Nepal declined foreign search and rescue assistance to prioritize the deployment of its own security forces, who are more familiar with the local terrain and conditions.
How has the Nepal government assessed the damage caused by the floods?⌵
The Nepal government has estimated that it will need between $4 billion and $5 billion for reconstruction efforts in the aftermath of the floods.
What actions are being taken to recover missing persons from the Nepal floods?⌵
Authorities are currently mobilizing around 15,000 personnel for rescue missions and are deploying special operations teams to locate and recover missing persons, amidst challenging conditions.
, a Himalayan nation of around 30 million people, is estimated to require $4 billion to $5 billion for reconstruction following the destruction caused by Wednesday’s , the finance minister told Reuters.
The country suspended search-and-rescue operations on Saturday because of adverse weather conditions and said it requires foreign technical assistance to deal with the devastating floods that struck the area along the Tibet border.
Search and rescue operations have been temporarily halted because it is raining and the weather is foggy,” Narendra Pariyar, the senior bureaucrat in the badly affected Rasuwa district, told Reuters.
He said authorities were now focusing on arranging land transport to bring rescued pilgrims to the capital, Kathmandu.
Three days after the flooding claimed lives, authorities said some of the bodies being recovered had decomposed to the point that they could no longer be recognised. They would be buried following the completion of legal formalities due to health concerns and fears of possible epidemics.
“DNA samples will be collected, and the bodies will be buried in an open space,” the Chitwan district administration said in a notice.
In Kathmandu, relatives of missing people gathered outside Maharajgunj Medical Campus, where some of the recovered bodies were taken. Many attempted to identify their family members from photographs of the bodies, with images displayed or attached to the hospital’s gates and boundary walls. Officials said only seven of the 49 bodies brought to the hospital had been identified.
Tibet floods
At least 558 people remained missing in Tibet’s Gyirong County, China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported on Thursday.
State-run Xinhua news agency, citing an assessment by the Ministry of Water Resources, said the first barrier lake formed after the disaster was shrinking. However, a Chinese government geohazards expert cautioned that the lake could remain unstable, while more than 100 glacial lakes across the region could also pose risks.
In Beijing, a Politburo meeting chaired by President Xi Jinping called for enhanced monitoring of glacial lakes and landslide threats, along with greater international cooperation on disaster response, Xinhua reported.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang, the country’s second-highest-ranking official, visited the Gyirong area on Thursday afternoon, according to Xinhua. His visit indicated the disaster was being treated by Beijing as a top national priority.
Gyirong border port is strategically important to China’s Belt and Road network connecting the country with South Asia. Over the past decade, logistics facilities and parking areas have been developed around the port.
