A glacier collapse on the Nepal-China border has caused devastating floods, killing at least 270 people and leaving over 1,300 missing, including foreigners and pilgrims. Rescue teams continue searching for hundreds of missing individuals after floodwaters and mud swept through multiple communities.

Authorities report that hundreds more are displaced across the Himalayan region. Search efforts face significant challenges due to the destruction of dozens of bridges and damage to nearly 40 kilometers (25 miles) of roads.

Nepali army helicopter operations have rescued more than 100 people from affected areas, according to army spokesman Brigadier General Raja Ram Basnet. At least eight foreign nationals were airlifted to Kathmandu, and army teams evacuated people trapped at facilities related to the Trishuli hydropower project.

Bodies have been found approximately 100 kilometers (60 miles) downstream in Chitwan district. The focus of response efforts has shifted from rescue to large-scale relief operations in the flood-hit districts, said Bishal Kumar Bhandari, chairperson of the Nepal Red Cross Society.

In Tibet, a mudslide near the land border crossing at Gyirong left surrounding areas covered in mud averaging more than 1.5 meters (5 feet) deep, with some roads buried under more than 2 meters (6 feet) of mud, as reported by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

Sources