Nepal floods at China border kill 8, cause 'major casualties' in Tibet

Massive flooding killed eight people in Nepal on Wednesday as Chinese state media reported "major casualties" from a mudslide at a Tibet trade hub on China's side of the nations' shared border.

What caused the deadly floods in Nepal?

A rock-ice avalanche in Nepal is believed to have blocked the Lhende river, triggering a cascading flood that swept through a Himalayan district bordering China. The flood surged through mountain valleys, sweeping away houses, trucks and people, according to eyewitnesses and Nepali police.

Images shared by Nepali police showed floodwater surging through a river, sweeping away houses in its path, while AFP images depicted the top floor of a house sticking out from muddy soil. "So far, eight bodies have been found. Rescue operations are underway," Nepal police spokesman Abi Narayan Kafle told AFP.

How did witnesses describe the flooding?

Videos shared by Nepal police and others on social media showed torrents of muddy water crashing through mountain valleys in the Himalayan district bordering China. "I witnessed the flood sweep away eight or nine trucks, along with houses and people," Suman Chalise, a 34 year old teacher, told AFP in Nuwakot district.

"It was absolutely heart-wrenching. I had not witnessed such devastation before," Chalise said. The police spokesman told AFP that authorities did not yet know the extent of the damage but said they had alerted people staying near the riverside to relocate.

What damage has the flood caused in Nepal?

The Nepal Army said it had deployed helicopters and disaster response personnel to the affected area. Several highways were also closed, Nepali authorities said.

The Nepal Electricity Authority said about 430 megawatts of production capacity, including from hydropower and solar facilities, had been damaged. "The disaster has damaged the production, transmission and distribution facilities of the Authority... resulting in disruption of electricity supply," it said.

Sarthak Shrestha, a remote sensing and geo information analyst at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), said a preliminary assessment showed "no anomalies" from China's side of the border. "We believe a rock-ice avalanche occurred in Nepal, blocking the Lhende river and causing the cascading flood event," he told AFP.

What happened on the Tibet side of the border?

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported on Wednesday that "a mudslide disaster on the Nepalese side resulted in major casualties and missing people at the Gyirong Port" in Tibet. Footage shared by the broadcaster, which AFP was unable to immediately verify, showed rushing water carrying tree branches and debris, as well as a flooded road.

State news agency Xinhua said Chinese President Xi Jinping had urged "all-out" rescue operations, but did not provide figures on injuries or deaths. Xi said "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," according to CCTV.

Traffic authorities in Tibet's Shigatse said roads in the area were "at risk of mudslides and unsafe for passage" in a social media post on Wednesday. In July last year, 17 people went missing after a mudslide near the Gyirong Port, Xinhua reported at the time.

Could there be another flood in the region?

Monsoon rains from June to September regularly trigger deadly floods and landslides across South Asia, and scientists say climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in the region. Qianggong Zhang, head of climate and environmental risks at ICIMOD, warned that a second flood may be imminent.

"With a blockage still lodged upstream on the Nepal-China border river, authorities warn a second flood may occur," he told AFP.