Massive Flash Flood Claims 17 Lives on Nepal‑Tibet Border


Mud and sand piled against a hydropower plant in a flash flood

At least 17 people have been killed after a massive flash flood and mudslide along the Nepal‑Tibet border washed away villages and damaged roads and infrastructure, according to police.


The flood hit early Wednesday in Rasuwa, just north of Kathmandu, reportedly caused by excessive snow melting into the Bhote Koshi river.


Search operations are underway on both sides of the border and 12 people have been rescued so far.


State media in China say there are significant casualties and Nepalese officials anticipate a “huge scale loss”.


The Nepal Police spokesman Abhi Narayan Kaphle told the BBC that all security agencies were working together on rescue efforts.


Videos show floodwater rushing through villages.


Several areas downstream of the Bhote Koshi river are on high alert; roads, communications and power have been disrupted and the main route to Kathmandu is closed.


Yee Liang, a Chinese businessman based in Kathmandu, told the BBC: "Our logistics company has seven container trucks there, all staffed by Nepalese employees. We have lost contact with all of them. There is no signal, so we cannot reach anyone."


He added: "As far as I know, there was no warning. There were occasional mudslides and landslides during the rainy season, but this one seems much more serious."


The extent of damage on the Tibetan side remains unclear. Guan Daoxuan from Sichuan province said he lost contact with his wife, a state‑run construction company employee who works on roads and bridges in Tibet.


Guan noted Nepalese authorities had tried to send a helicopter, but strong winds hindered the aircraft from reaching the site.


The Nepal Disaster Management Authority urged residents near river banks in vulnerable areas to stay alert and take precautions.


Prime Minister Balendra Shah said, after an emergency meeting, that "work has started to take necessary steps in coordination with the medical team, scouts, and the Red Cross."


Authorities say 13 armed police officers were missing from two posts in Rasuwa district, and they have not been able to reach dozens of other officers.


Rasuwa saw deadly flooding last year that killed 18 people after a glacier burst on the Chinese side of the border.


Officials believe this Wednesday's disaster exceeds last year's floods.