Nepal flash floods latest: Death toll hits 160 with dozens of UK, US and Canadian nationals missing after deadly surge

South Korean government officials said nine citizens working on building a hydropower plant in Nepal were among those reported missing.

Malaysia’s foreign ministry said its embassy received reports from travel agencies that they had lost contact with 11 Malaysians believed to be in Rasuwa district.

Russia’s embassy in Nepal said four citizens reportedly in the affected area were missing.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah and offered help.

“India is prepared to provide Nepal with all possible types of humanitarian assistance. Our teams are closely coordinating on rescue and relief efforts,” Modi said on social media.

Sunil Sharma, a tourism board spokesman, said 133 of those missing were from India on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet – a sacred site for Hindus.

Also among the missing were 47 people from the US, 34 from Australia, and 24 from Canada, he added.

China’s official Xinhua news agency said the mudslide hit the Gyirong port, cutting ⁠roads, communications and power links in the Shigatse region near the border.

A rescuer interviewed by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said they had been trying to establish contact with the Gyirong border port but “so far there haven’t been any results”.

All roads leading to the border crossing had been “completely destroyed” after a preliminary inspection with a drone, the rescuer added.

With the deluge of muddy water sweeping down from an estimated nearly 2,000 metres (6,560 feet) ‌above sea level, flood alerts were issued in the populous northern ​Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which border Nepal and where several rivers flow down the ‌mountains into the plains.

Authorities in Bihar said they had evacuated about 5,000 people from six districts and planned to evacuate a total of 10,000 to 12,000 people.

Security footage captured on the Chinese side of the Nepal-Tibet border showed many people fleeing before a torrent of rock, mud and water destroyed buildings and vehicles and took many lives.

The German Research Centre for Geosciences said there was a 4.4-magnitude quake approximately seven `minutes before the time shown on the security footage time-stamp.

Locals from the affected areas of Nuwakot and Dhading were seen gathering outside a Nepali army training centre — the base for helicopter rescue operations — seeking information about missing family members.

Police were recording the names of the missing just outside the barracks gate, using mobile phone flashlights as their only source of light as the area remained without electricity due to damaged hydropower infrastructure.

In the affected areas, houses, trees and vehicles were submerged or buried in mudslides. Helicopters hovered overhead all day in the area bringing in survivors.

An initial study of Planet Labs satellite imagery indicated that a landslide of ice and rock triggered a debris-laden flood in the Lhende River, about 20 km (12 miles) northeast of the Nepal-China Rasuwagadhi border crossing, Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said on X.

Massive flash floods in a border area of Nepal and China on Wednesday killed at least 160 people and left hundreds of tourists, workers and others missing after sweeping through communities and bringing travel in some areas to a halt.

Experts said an avalanche from a glacier was the likely cause in the warming Himalaya region.

Police in Nepal reported at least 157 dead. China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported at least three dead and 265 missing in the Tibet region’s Gyirong County near the border.

Climate experts at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development said an avalanche from a glacier likely caused Wednesday’s flash flood.

“Hydrological observations indicate the exceptional speed and magnitude of the flood wave,” they said in an emailed statement, noting that water levels at one point on the Trishuli river rose by as much as nine meters (27 feet) over half an hour.

The Lhende Khola River, a tributary of the Bhotekoshi, had maximum flooding, they said.

“The Lhende Khola has flooded twice in 14 months, this time triggered by an ice rock avalanche from a glacier on the Nepal side that blocked the river and released a sudden surge downstream,” said Saswata Sanyal, a disaster risk reduction specialist at the climate research group.

He noted the importance of early warnings in “a warming Himalaya.”

The region saw similar flash floods in August last year, when a glacial lake in Tibet overflowed because of high temperatures.

Nine people were killed, and critical infrastructure, including a bridge connecting Nepal and China, was damaged.

Sunil Sharma, a tourism board spokesman, said 133 of those missing were from India on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet – a sacred site for Hindus.

Also among the missing were 47 people from the US, 34 from Australia, and 24 from Canada, he added.

In an update on Wednesday evening, Nepal police said 157 bodies had been recovered and more than 40 people were injured and receiving treatment in hospital.

The Nepal Tourist Board said the number of missing people had risen from 384 to 403, with 33 UK citizens among 341 foreign nationals unaccounted for.

According to the tourist board, 203 of the missing are male and 200 female.

Andy Burnham said the government will do “everything we can” to support British nationals in Nepal following the floods.

In a statement, the prime minister said: “These scenes emerging from along the Nepal-China border are devastating.

“My thoughts are with all those affected, including the families and loved ones of British nationals missing in this tragedy.

“We will do everything we can to support British nationals impacted in the region and are in touch with the relevant authorities to offer support.

“I urge British nationals in the region to follow guidance from the local authorities and follow our travel advice.”