Rescue teams are racing to find hundreds of people missing along the Nepal-China border after a massive flash flood and mudflow swept through several communities, triggered by a glacial lake outburst the previous day.
Local officials report at least 270 fatalities and more than 1,300 people unaccounted for, including foreigners and pilgrims. Hundreds more have been displaced from their homes in the Himalayan region.
Nepali authorities say search efforts are being hampered by the destruction of dozens of bridges and damage to about 40 kilometers of roads.
Nepali army helicopters rescued over 100 people from flood-affected areas on Thursday, according to army spokesperson Brigadier General Raja Ram Basnet. At least eight foreigners were airlifted to Kathmandu, with military teams also evacuating those stranded at facilities linked to the Trishuli hydropower project.
Victims' bodies have been found as far as 100 kilometers downstream in Chitwan district. Dozens of injured survivors have been transferred to Kathmandu for intensive medical care.
The focus has shifted from rescue to large-scale relief operations in flood-hit districts, said Bishal Kumar Bhandari, chairman of the Nepal Red Cross Society. Around 1,200 people have been displaced from at least three villages.
In Tibet, a mudslide near the Gyirong border checkpoint on Wednesday left surrounding areas covered in mud averaging over 1.5 meters deep, with some stretches exceeding 2 meters, according to China's state broadcaster CCTV.
