An unimaginable natural disaster of biblical proportions is shaking Nepal and the border zone with China, as a sweeping flash flood flattened villages and infrastructure, leaving at least 95 dead and hundreds missing .
According to the country’s Tourism Board, there is widespread anxiety about the fate of 384 travelers and climbers —of whom 291 are foreign nationals from countries such as India, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and Malaysia—as well as 60 workers at the Langtang Khola hydroelectric plant under construction in Rasuwa district, which suffered severe damage.
The devastating phenomenon struck the mountainous regions of Syapru Besi and Timure near the border with Tibet with unprecedented severity, with eyewitnesses describing a deafening noise “like a volcanic eruption” before the huge volume of water and mud overflowed the river, sweeping away bridges and buildings.
Initial assessments by authorities indicate that the flood was likely triggered by an earthquake that triggered an extensive avalanche , while the disaster also dealt a heavy blow to the energy grid, knocking out more than 12% of Nepal’s total hydroelectric generation (about 430 MW).
14 military helicopters and special disaster response units have been deployed for search and rescue operations , which are however facing enormous difficulties due to the momentum and high water levels .
The disaster has taken on cross-border dimensions , causing widespread landslides and power outages in the port of Gyirong and the Shigatse region in Tibet, leading Chinese President Xi Jinping to order a general mobilization.
The tragic event awakens fresh memories of last year’s deadly flood on the Bhote Koshi River, highlighting once again the dangerous vulnerability of the Himalayan mountain ranges.
