Sudden Tsunami Hit Nepal’s Mountains: Death Toll Rises to 157, More Than 400 Tourists Missing

Darwin, August 27 : At least 157 people have been killed and another 403 remain missing following sudden floods and landslides in Nepal. Most of the missing are reportedly foreign tourists. The flash floods and landslides struck Rasuwa in the central Bagmati Province and several neighboring districts on Wednesday.

According to information released by Nepal Police up to 8:30 p.m. local time, 157 bodies had been recovered from the affected areas. Of these, one was recovered in Rasuwa, 11 in Nuwakot, 18 in Dhading, 33 in Chitwan, 19 in Gorkha, seven in Tanahun and 11 in Nawalpur.

According to the Nepal Tourism Board, 341 of the 403 missing people are foreign nationals. Among them are 133 Indians, 47 Americans and 33 British citizens. The missing include 200 women and 203 men. Authorities believe citizens of 26 countries are among those missing. At least 61 Nepali nationals are also missing.

Citing tour operators, the Tourism Board said most of those missing were traveling toward Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar, a pilgrimage destination near the India-Nepal border.

A local man, Raju Bhadel, 56, said, “My brother-in-law called me this morning. They were crying and said their entire house had been swept away by the flood. Three members of the family were rescued, but his brother is still missing.”

Images released by Nepal Police showed houses being swept away by powerful currents. Photographs by AFP showed only the upper portion of a house visible above thick mud.

Nepal’s electricity authority said around 430 megawatts of power-generation capacity, including hydropower and solar power, had been affected. In a statement, the authority said power-generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure had been damaged, disrupting electricity supplies.

A local police spokesperson told AFP that the full extent of the damage was not yet clear. However, authorities warned residents living along riverbanks to move to safer areas. The Nepal Army said it had deployed helicopters and disaster-response personnel to the affected areas.

Meanwhile, China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported that three people had died in the flash floods in Gyirong, Tibet, while at least 265 people remained missing.

Chinese state media reported “heavy casualties” following landslides at a Tibetan trading hub near the Nepal border. Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered an “all-out” rescue operation to locate those missing.

Why Did the Floods Happen So Suddenly?

The floods and landslides are being described as Nepal’s biggest natural disaster since the devastating 2015 earthquake. The exact cause of the sudden flooding and landslides has not yet been confirmed. However, Nepalese officials said the disaster began shortly after an earthquake in the Tibetan region on Wednesday.

Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal told parliament that the earthquake struck at 8:37 a.m. local time. Three minutes later, at 8:40 a.m., the flash floods began. “However, this needs to be verified,” he said.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake in the Tibetan region had a magnitude of 4.4. Its epicenter was located 47 kilometers north of Nepal’s Gosaikunda Lake.

Deadly floods and landslides frequently occur across South Asia during the monsoon season from June to September. Scientists say climate change is increasing both the frequency and severity of extreme weather events in the region.

Chiangong Zhang, head of the Climate and Environmental Risks Division at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), warned that another flood could occur soon. He told AFP that blockages had formed upstream along rivers near the Nepal-China border, raising the risk of a second wave of flooding.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah said he was deeply saddened by the deadly flash floods. In a social media post, he said the entire nation was shocked and deeply grieved by the loss of life and damage to property. He described the disaster as “sudden” and “devastating.”

Shah said the government had immediately mobilized all available resources and capabilities to begin rescue operations without delay.