A flash flood triggered by the collapse of glacial rock and ice in Nepal and Tibet yesterday has killed at least 332 people, while hundreds remain missing, most of them tourists.
The death toll remains preliminary and is expected to rise due to the number of people still missing, according to local officials.
Nearly 600 foreign nationals were among the 826 people reported missing in Nepal, according to police and tourism officials. Those still unaccounted for include 177 Indian, 63 US, 34 Australian, 33 British and 25 Canadian citizens.
The Tibet Autonomous Region is part of the People’s Republic of China, while a small part of the territory it claims is controlled by India.
Chinese state media reported that at least 558 people are missing on the Tibetan side of the border, including at least 260 foreign nationals.
Rescue teams are racing to locate those still missing in the mountainous region, which is popular with hikers and pilgrims. Among them are hundreds of citizens from India, the US, the UK, Australia and Canada.
Entire villages and areas have also been swept away by the floodwaters, which destroyed roads, homes, trees and other infrastructure.
“I started running. Then a wall of water came down with a terrible roar, as if there was an earthquake,” said a worker in Rasuwagadhi, one of the worst-hit areas near Nepal’s Himalayan border with Tibet.
Source: The Guardian
