At least eight people have been killed in flash floods in Nepal near the Chinese border, while Chinese state media reported "major casualties" from a mudslide at a trade hub in Tibet on the other side of the frontier. The disaster struck on Wednesday in the Himalayan district of Nuwakot, where torrents of muddy water swept through mountain valleys, destroying homes and vehicles.
Nepal police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle told AFP that eight bodies had been recovered so far and that rescue operations were continuing. "I witnessed the flood sweep away eight or nine trucks, along with houses and people," said Suman Chalise, a 34-year-old teacher in Nuwakot. "It was absolutely heart-wrenching. I had not witnessed such devastation before."
Rescue and damage assessment
The Nepali Army has deployed helicopters and disaster response teams to the affected area. Authorities have urged residents near riversides to relocate as they assess the full extent of the damage. The Nepal Electricity Authority reported that about 430 megawatts of production capacity, including hydropower and solar facilities, had been damaged, disrupting electricity supply.
Several highways have been closed due to the flooding and risk of further landslides. Sarthak Shrestha, a remote sensing analyst at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu, said a preliminary assessment showed no anomalies from China's side of the border. "We believe a rock-ice avalanche occurred in Nepal, blocking the Lhende river and causing the cascading flood event," he explained.
Tibet reports major casualties
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that a mudslide on the Nepalese side resulted in major casualties and missing people at Gyirong Port in Tibet. Footage showed rushing water carrying debris and a flooded road. Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged "all-out" rescue operations, according to Xinhua, though no figures on injuries or deaths have been provided. Traffic authorities in Tibet's Shigatse warned that roads in the area were "at risk of mudslides and unsafe for passage."
This incident follows a similar mudslide near Gyirong Port in July last year, when 17 people went missing. The region is prone to such disasters during the monsoon season, which runs from June to September and regularly triggers deadly floods and landslides across South Asia.
While this tragedy occurred far from Europe, it resonates with broader concerns about climate-related disasters. European readers may recall extreme weather battering Europe this summer, with wildfires and floods forcing mass evacuations. The Himalayan region, like the Alps, is particularly vulnerable to glacial melt and extreme events, a topic of growing interest to European scientists and policymakers.
As rescue efforts continue, the focus remains on finding the missing and supporting affected communities. The disaster underscores the need for improved early warning systems and infrastructure resilience in mountainous areas, a lesson that resonates from the Andes to the Alps.
