Special Correspondent: Nepal is grappling with one of its worst natural disasters in recent history after sudden flash floods and sweeping landslides devastated central Bagmati province on Wednesday. The death toll has surged to 157, while over 400 people—mostly foreign tourists—remain unaccounted for across Rasuwa and adjoining districts.
Local emergency officials warn that the fatality count could rise further as search-and-rescue teams dig through massive piles of mud and debris. According to Nepal Police, the highest casualties were reported in Chitwan district (33), followed by Gorkha (19), Dhading (18), Nuwakot (11), Nawalpur (11), Tanahun (7), and Rasuwa (1).The Nepal Tourism Board confirmed that out of 403 missing individuals, 341 are foreign nationals spanning more than 25 countries. The missing include 133 citizens from India, 47 from the United States, and 33 from the United Kingdom. Tour operators indicated that a large group of these travelers were heading toward Lake Manasarovar and Mount Kailash near the border. At least 61 local Nepalese residents are also among the missing.
While the exact catalyst remains under investigation, officials suspect a seismic chain reaction. Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal informed parliament that a 4.4-magnitude earthquake struck the nearby Tibet region at 8:37 AM local time. Just three minutes later, a violent wall of water rushed down the mountain river valleys.Glaciologists and climate experts at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) suggest the tremor may have breached a high-altitude glacial lake or triggered a massive landslide that temporarily dammed an upstream river before bursting. Qianggong Zhang, a climate risk lead at ICIMOD, warned that remaining blockages upstream on the Nepal-China border rivers pose an ongoing threat of a secondary flood.The disaster also struck Tibet’s Gyirong port along the Chinese border, leaving at least three dead and 265 missing. In Nepal, the surge destroyed critical energy infrastructure, knocking out approximately 430 megawatts of hydroelectric and solar capacity and leaving wide swaths of the region without power.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah described the event as a catastrophic tragedy, stating that the military and emergency services have deployed all available resources, including search helicopters. Environmentalists emphasize that while seasonal monsoon rains are routine in South Asia, climate change is noticeably increasing the frequency and intensity of such extreme, unpredictable mountain hazards.