Nepal Flash Floods: Dozens of Britons Among 400+ Missing After Devastating Deluge

Devastating flash floods have swept across Nepal, particularly impacting the Rasuwa region bordering China's autonomous region of Tibet, leaving a trail of destruction, over 160 confirmed dead, and more than 400 people missing. Among the missing are dozens of foreign nationals, including 33 British citizens, sparking urgent international rescue efforts. The Nepal Police confirmed on Thursday morning that 162 bodies had been recovered.

The Nepal Tourist Board updated the number of missing persons to 403, with 341 foreign nationals unaccounted for. Eyewitness accounts and social media videos paint a grim picture, showing huge floodwaters surging through valleys, washing away bridges, and forcing residents to flee uphill in terror as muddy torrents engulfed populated areas and submerged houses.

The catastrophe is believed to have been triggered by a complex interplay of natural phenomena.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported a magnitude 5.2 seismic event near the Nepal-China border on Wednesday.

This, coupled with a "glacial collapse and debris flow," is cited as causing the "subsequent catastrophic impacts downstream." Further reports suggest a snow-rock landslide near China blocked a river, creating a temporary debris lake that subsequently burst, leading to the deadly surge in the Lhende Khola near the Nepal-Tibet border. The human cost of the disaster is profound.

Kalpana Malla, from Nepal's Nuwakot district, shared a heartbreaking account with BBC News: "My family members were swept away by the flood in front of my eyes." She recounted watching her father, mother, sister, and her sister's children being carried away, stating, "They could not escape the flood, there was no chance at all." Ms. Malla and her son survived by climbing onto a rooftop, but the floods took everything else.

Rescue operations are challenging, with earthmovers being deployed to reach submerged areas.

The widespread thick mud and altered landscapes make the search for survivors and the missing incredibly difficult. The floods have also affected the Chinese side of the border, with at least three dead and 265 missing in Tibet, according to China's state broadcaster CCTV.

Among those impacted are groups like the 77 Isha Foundation Kailash pilgrims, who were at a Tibet immigration center returning from their pilgrimage when the flood struck Gyirong.

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