Himalayan flood leaves over 1,300 missing across Nepal and Tibet

A massive landslide into a Himalayan river caused catastrophic flooding in Nepal and Tibet, leaving more than 1,300 people missing, including over 700 foreign nationals. At least 165 deaths have been confirmed, with the toll expected to rise. Rescue teams are using helicopters to search for survivors and deliver supplies to cut-off areas.

The disaster unfolded when a massive slab of glacial rock and ice sheared away and plunged into the river, generating a seismic signal initially mistaken for a magnitude 4.4 earthquake. The US Geological Survey later clarified that the reading came from the collapse itself and the ensuing debris torrent, not from tectonic activity. Many victims were pilgrims en route to the sacred sites of Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar, with Indian spiritual leader Sadhguru confirming that 77 Hindu pilgrims were inside the border immigration building when the flood struck.

Rescue operations have recovered 125 people so far, including 20 foreigners, with more than 5,000 military and police personnel deployed across the affected districts. Helicopters are delivering tents, food, and medicine supplied by India to communities isolated by destroyed roads and power lines. Chinese authorities have warned that a dammed lake formed upstream in Gyirong could release additional flooding, potentially complicating rescue efforts further in the coming days.