More than 100 people have been confirmed dead and hundreds of international tourists remain missing after a massive landslide triggered catastrophic flash floods and mudslides across the Nepal-Tibet border.
Correcting earlier reports of an earthquake, the US Geological Survey (USGS) confirmed that the seismic activity detected was caused directly by a massive landslide, which sent torrential mud and water crashing down river valleys popular with trekkers and religious pilgrims.
Rising Casualties and Missing Persons
Nepalese police confirmed the domestic death toll reached 100 on Wednesday evening, with the heavy loss of life recorded across multiple districts including Chitwan, Dhading, Gorkha, and Nuwakot. In neighboring Tibet, Chinese state media reported three fatalities and 265 people missing.
- Foreign Tourists Unaccounted For: Nepal’s tourism board reports that 579 people are missing in total. This includes more than 100 citizens from India, 54 from the United States, 33 from the United Kingdom, and over 100 Nepalese nationals.
- Security Personnel and Workers Swept Away: The Nepalese Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that 45 military personnel, 41 police officers, and 60 hydropower plant workers are among those missing in the deluge.
- Devastating Personal Impact: Survivors describe harrowing escapes from rising mudwaters that flattened multi-storey structures. “My family was swept away in front of me,” one woman told reporters, explaining how she and her son survived by scaling a rooftop.
Infrastructure Shattered as Relief Operations Launch
The financial and physical toll on the region is severe. Government officials estimate preliminary damage to roads and bridges to exceed 15 billion Nepalese rupees (£72m / $98m). At least 19 bridges were destroyed alongside 40 kilometres of primary roadways, isolating remote mountain communities. Aid agencies, including Save the Children and Care International, warn of potential waterborne disease outbreaks and long-term humanitarian fallout due to ruined sanitation facilities and power grids.
International Response
Emergency responders and military personnel are deploying portable bridges to reopen supply routes and continue search-and-rescue efforts.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham described the scenes as “devastating,” confirming the British government is working closely with regional authorities to support affected citizens and assist in ongoing rescue operations. Search teams continue to clear debris, though emergency services warn the death toll is expected to rise further.
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