Nepal-Tibet Flood Disaster Claims Over 1,000 Lives, Thousands Missing

Nearly a week after a massive glacial collapse in the Himalayas triggered a devastating flood on the Nepal-Tibet border, the death toll has surpassed 1,000, with approximately 4,500 people still missing, including two Israelis. The collapse of a large glacier at an altitude of 5,200 meters caused an immense mud and rockslide down the steep Himalayan slopes. The resulting flood, estimated to have traveled at speeds exceeding 180 km/h, carried hundreds of tons of debris, obliterating a town, entire villages, hydroelectric power stations, a border crossing, roads, and bridges.

The disaster most severely impacted Nepal's Rasuwa district and China's Gyirong region in Tibet, leaving the entire area cut off and hindering rescue efforts. Two new lakes have formed on either side of the border, and authorities warn of an immediate risk of these lakes breaching, which could unleash another catastrophic flood wave.

The full extent of the disaster is still unfolding, with reports indicating it is one of the region's worst in recent years. The force of the flood was so immense that some bodies were swept hundreds of kilometers downstream into India. Due to overwhelmed hospitals in the capital, Kathmandu, authorities have begun mass burials of unidentified bodies. Villages along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers have been wiped out or buried under thick mud.

Nepalese army and Chinese rescue teams have evacuated thousands, but many areas remain inaccessible due to destroyed bridges and blocked routes. Over 1,400 people were injured, many of them workers involved in constructing and operating hydroelectric power plants in the area. Over 900 workers at 11 different projects are reported missing or stranded.

Search efforts continue for approximately 600 workers trapped in a hydroelectric power station buried by mud, with dwindling hope for their survival. The affected region is a key pilgrimage route to Mount Kailash and a popular tourist destination. Hundreds of pilgrims and tourists are among the missing and dead, with nearly 300 Indian citizens, as well as dozens from the US, Ukraine, Malaysia, Australia, Britain, and Canada, unaccounted for.

Rescue teams are operating under extremely difficult conditions, with unstable weather and further rockfalls hampering helicopter landings. Experts warn of the ongoing danger posed by blocked river flows, which could lead to further devastating floods. Diplomatic missions worldwide are working to locate their citizens, with growing concern for the two missing Israelis: Katerina (Katya) Sakovich, 41, and Ron Cohen, 61.