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Floods at the border
Monsoon rains from June to September regularly trigger deadly floods and landslides across South Asia, and on Wednesday massive flooding in Nepal killed at least eight people as Chinese state media reported "major casualties" from a mudslide at a Tibet trade hub on China's side of the shared border.
“"So far, eight bodies have been found. Rescue operations are underway,"”
Nepal police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle told AFP, "So far, eight bodies have been found. Rescue operations are underway," as images shared by Nepali police showed floodwater surging through a river and sweeping away houses.
In Nepal’s Rasuwa district, Suman Chalise, a 34-year-old teacher, told AFP in Nuwakot district, "I witnessed the flood sweep away eight or nine trucks, along with houses and people," while the Nepal Army said it had deployed helicopters and disaster response personnel to the affected area.
The Nepal Electricity Authority said about 430 megawatts of production capacity, including from hydropower and solar facilities, has been damaged, and it warned the disaster "resulting in disruption of electricity supply," while Sarthak Shrestha of ICIMOD said a preliminary assessment showed "no anomalies" from China's side of the border.
Sarthak Shrestha added that a "rock-ice avalanche occurred in Nepal, blocking the Lhende river and causing the cascading flood event," as Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that a mudslide on the Nepalese side resulted in major casualties and missing people at the Gyirong Port in Tibet.
Conflicting death tolls
While Euronews described at least eight deaths, the BBC reported that dozens of garment workers were killed when fire swept through a four-storey factory outside Dhaka late Saturday, which is unrelated to the Nepal-Tibet flooding described in the other sources.
In Nepal, EFE reported that Katmandú, 26 ago (EFE) said at least 16 people died and nearly 400 pilgrims remained without contact after a riada repentina reached localities and damaged roads and other infrastructure near the border with Tibet.
Nepal’s Army spokesperson Rajaram Basnet told EFE that at least 29 people had been rescued after the Bhote Koshi river overflow, and EFE said six helicopters of the Nepal Army and other eight operated by private companies were deployed for search and rescue.
Chinese President Xi Jinping urged "all-out" rescue operations, and CCTV quoted him saying, "the most urgent task is doing everything possible to search for and rescue the missing people...quickly treat injured people and minimise casualties to the greatest extent possible," while Xinhua reported that the mudslide disaster occurred toward Gyirong Port.
In Tibet, Xinhua reported that at approximately 10:30 local time a flow of mud and rocks reached Shigatse leaving "importantes víctimas y desaparecidos," and EFE said Xi also urged reubicar a la población amenazada and reinforce monitoring and early-warning systems.
Energy, transport, and risk
The flooding’s impact extended beyond immediate casualties, with Nepal’s Energy Ministry reporting that about 430MW of electricity supply was affected, mainly because of damage to hydroelectric projects and related infrastructure, and a Reuters calculation cited by News Karnataka said that represents more than 12% of Nepal’s total hydropower capacity of around 3.2 GW.
“around 430 MW of electricity supplyhad been affected”
News Karnataka said rescue officials faced major difficulties reaching some of the worst-hit areas because floodwaters remained high and transport links were disrupted, while authorities warned people living in low-lying areas along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers to move to safer locations.
Across the border, Chinese state media reported major casualties and missing people in Gyirong County, and News Karnataka said the Gyirong border port was affected and that roads, communication links and electricity infrastructure were disrupted.
DW reported that floodwaters washed away villages, damaged bridges and destroyed electrical infrastructure on both sides of the Nepal-China border, and it quoted health worker Tula Bahadur BK in Rasuwa district telling Reuters, "The settlements next to the river have been completely swept away. Five of my own relatives are missing."
DW also said Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal told Reuters an earthquake triggered an avalanche in the Himalayas that then triggered flash floods in the valleys below, while Qianggong Zhang of ICIMOD told AFP that "With a blockage still lodged upstream on the Nepal-China border river, authorities warn a second flood may occur," as rescue helicopters could not land in Nepal’s affected areas of Syapru Besi and Timure.