KATHMANDU, Aug 26: At least eight people were killed after a massive flash flood swept through parts of Nepal’s Rasuwa district near the China border on Wednesday, washing away villages and damaging roads, bridges and hydropower infrastructure, authorities said.
The flooding also triggered a mudslide at China’s Gyirong port, where Chinese authorities reported “major casualties” and missing people after the disaster struck the border area, according to state-run Xinhua news agency.
Nepal deployed helicopters and mobilised police and military personnel for rescue and relief operations, but high water levels prevented aircraft from landing in the worst-affected areas of Syapru Besi and Timure.
More Read
District administrator Narendra Pariyar warned that the scale of the destruction was still unclear.
“There could be heavy casualties or loss of property,” Pariyar told Reuters, adding that he could not immediately confirm the extent of the losses.
He urged residents living along the Bhote Koshi river to move to higher ground amid reports that villages and infrastructure project sites had been swept away.
The suddenness of the flooding left residents scrambling for safety. A witness quoted by Onlinekhabar said, “It all came suddenly,” describing a loud sound “like a volcano erupting” before people began screaming and fleeing.
Helicopters unable to land
Nepal Army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet said rescue helicopters would not be able to land in the affected areas until the floodwaters receded.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah said police and military personnel had joined rescue teams and directed authorities to move people living in low-lying areas to safer locations.
“Instructions have been given … to move the people living in the lower areas to safer places,” Shah said. “People along the river are advised to exercise extra caution and remain alert.”
The cause of Wednesday’s inundation was not immediately established. However, the Bhote Koshi has experienced a deadly flash flood before, with last year’s disaster eventually linked to the draining of a glacier lake in Tibet.
China reports damage at Gyirong port
Across the border, the mudslide struck the Chinese side of the Gyirong port area in Tibet’s Shigatse region, disrupting roads, communications and power supplies, Xinhua reported.
Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered “all-out” search and rescue efforts for missing people and called for stronger monitoring and early-warning systems to prevent secondary disasters.
The disaster also disrupted Nepal’s power sector. The Energy Ministry said around 430 MW of electricity supply had been affected, largely because of damage or disruption to hydropower projects. That represents more than 12% of Nepal’s total installed hydropower capacity of about 3.2 GW.
River connects Tibet, Nepal and India
The Bhote Koshi originates in Tibet and flows into Nepal, where it joins the Trishuli river. The Trishuli eventually forms part of the Gandak river system, which enters India.
The latest flooding comes roughly a year after a major Bhote Koshi disaster killed nine people and left 24 missing. That flood also washed away the Friendship Bridge connecting Nepal and China, disrupting cross-border trade and transport for months.
A regional climate monitor later attributed that disaster to the drainage of a supraglacial lake in Tibet, underscoring the growing risks posed by glacial lakes and sudden water releases in the Himalayan region.
