Nepal-Tibet Flood: 157 Bodies Recovered, Over 400 Missing

By Innocent Odoh with agency reports

Authorities in Nepal  said that some 157 bodies had been recovered so far on Wednesday after the flash flood that hit  the border of Nepal and China’s Tibet left over 400 tourists, about 340 of them foreigners, still missing.

Houses, roads and power projects were washed away in the disaster in Nepal, while officials in Tibet said they feared “major casualties” after a mudslide hit a border land crossing in the county of Gyirong.

“It was a huge gush of mud coming straight towards us. As it got closer, it kept rising higher and higher. When I saw it enter our home, I tried to grab my wife’s hand and take her to the terrace. But she was swept away by the mud,” said Keshav Prasad Baral, a 68-year-old survivor, who was being treated at a small hospital.

“Four or five hours later, a helicopter came to rescue me. My wife is still somewhere beneath the mud. She’s gone.”

Another survivor described being saved by clinging to a mango tree as he watched the house where he had been working disappear.

Initial reports from Nepali officials suggested an earthquake in the area could have caused the lower part of a glacier to collapse and trigger the floods.

As darkness fell, authorities continued the grim task of recovering and trying to identify bodies.

Sunil Sharma, a Nepal tourism board spokesperson, told the Toronto Star that 133 of the tourists were from India on a pilgrimage.

He said 47 of the missing tourists were from the United States, 34 from Australia, 33 from Britain and 24 from Canada.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson said: “The State Department is aware of Americans impacted by the floods in Nepal and is closely tracking the situation.”

Canada was also closely following the situation, said Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on X, calling the floods “absolutely devastating.”

The region lies on a popular route to Kailash Manasarovar in Tibet, a site visited annually by hundreds of Hindu pilgrims from India and elsewhere, particularly at this time of year.

China’s state broadcaster said three people were killed and 265 missing in Gyirong. It said the toll was still being verified and rescue efforts were ongoing.

South Korea separately said that eight of its nationals working on a hydropower plant were missing.

Security footage captured on the Chinese side of the Nepal-Tibet border showed many people fleeing before a torrent of rock, mud and water destroyed buildings and vehicles ‌and took many ⁠lives.

Authorities in Bihar said they had evacuated about 5,000 people from six districts and planned to evacuate a total of 10,000 to 12,000 people.