Flash Floods Kill At Least Eight In Nepal And Cause Major Casualties In Tibet

At least eight people have been killed and dozens remain missing after flash floods and mudslides swept through remote valleys in Nepal and Tibet. The disaster destroyed villages, bridges and electrical infrastructure, while rescue efforts were hampered by severe flooding. Nepal and China have launched major search-and-rescue operations involving security personnel, helicopters and emergency teams.

At least eight people have been killed and dozens more remain missing after flash floods and mudslides swept through remote mountainous areas of Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday.
The flooding caused widespread destruction, washing away settlements, damaging bridges and destroying electrical infrastructure on both sides of the border.

VILLAGES SWEPT AWAY

The Rasuwa district in northern Nepal was among the areas worst affected by the disaster.
Tula Bahadur BK, a health worker in the district, described the situation as devastating, saying settlements located near the river had been completely swept away.
He also said several members of his own family were among those reported missing.
Nepalese authorities confirmed that at least eight people had died, while the number of missing people continued to rise as officials gathered information from affected communities.

POLICE AND WORKERS AMONG THE MISSING

A Nepali police spokesperson said 26 police personnel were confirmed missing in the floods.
Government revenue officials, hydropower workers and other residents were also reported missing, although authorities said they were still compiling the full figures.
The destruction of roads, bridges and other infrastructure has complicated efforts to reach some of the affected areas.
Across the border in Tibet, Chinese authorities reported that a mudslide had caused major casualties, although a precise figure was not immediately available.

RESCUE OPERATIONS UNDERWAY

Nepal has launched a major rescue operation in the mountainous Rasuwa region.
More than a dozen rescue helicopters were deployed to assist with the operation, but officials said the floodwaters were too high in some locations for the helicopters to land safely.
The country's military and police have also been mobilised to help rescue people and move residents from vulnerable areas.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah instructed authorities to relocate people living in low-lying areas to safer locations.
He also urged communities living along rivers to remain alert and exercise extreme caution as rescue and recovery efforts continued.

CHINA ORDERS ALL-OUT RESCUE EFFORT

Chinese President Xi Jinping also ordered an extensive rescue operation in the affected areas of Tibet.
Chinese state media reported that Xi directed authorities to make every effort to locate and rescue missing people, provide urgent medical treatment to those injured and minimise further loss of life.
Emergency teams were mobilised as authorities assessed the extent of the destruction caused by the mudslides and flooding.

EXTREME WEATHER COMPLICATES RESPONSE

The disaster highlights the dangers faced by communities living in remote mountainous areas during periods of intense rainfall.
Flash floods can develop rapidly in narrow valleys, while mudslides can destroy homes, roads and bridges with little warning.
With more people still missing, authorities in both Nepal and China are expected to continue search-and-rescue operations while assessing the full scale of the damage.
The immediate priority remains finding survivors, evacuating people from dangerous areas and restoring access to communities cut off by the floods.