On the morning of August 26, a sudden flash flood and mudslide occurred near the Jilong Port in Jilong County, Shigatse City, Tibet. Eyewitnesses recounted how a torrent of water carrying trees came rushing towards them, forcing them to flee for their lives by rapidly reversing their cars for 3 kilometers without daring to turn around. Another Chinese tourist mentioned encountering multiple mudslides on their way back to China from Nepal.
In the afternoon of August 26, Ms. Fang, one of the eyewitnesses, told the mainland media XIAOXIANG Morning News that they had planned to depart from Jilong Town towards Nepal at 9 a.m. that day but were delayed until around 10 a.m.
Jilong Town is about 20 kilometers away from Jilong Port, and under normal circumstances, the drive takes only about 40 minutes. Ms. Fang described how as they approached a point around 4 kilometers from the port, “all the trees and power poles in front of us were toppled, and the rushing water pushed us from behind. We couldn’t turn around, so we had to reverse our cars.”
Ms. Fang further explained, “We had to reverse about 3 kilometers before the water flow became less severe.”
She mentioned that their car was the first one to reverse, and another car behind them came up as they were retreating. They signaled the other car not to pass, but it went ahead, and Ms. Fang feared that the occupants of that vehicle might not have survived.
After reaching a safe place to stop the car, Ms. Fang described how fog enveloped the valley, making it difficult to see the surroundings clearly. She said, “Everyone in the cars behind us got out, discussing the situation and contacting relatives and friends.”
On August 26, there was a sudden flash flood and mudslide in Tibet. Ms. Fang, an eyewitness, recounted how they were terrified as the floodwaters were right in front of them, prompting them to rapidly reverse their cars for 3 kilometers to save their lives.
Later that afternoon, Ms. Fang returned to Jilong Town, which remained unaffected by the flash flood. However, she expressed concerns as she was not able to reach her friends at Jilong Port.
According to a report by The Paper, a Chinese tourist named Mr. Wang recalled their journey back from Nepal to China, mentioning how they encountered numerous mudslides due to continuous rainfall in Nepal. He described encountering large rocks in the mudslides that were even bigger than cars.
Mr. Wang explained that after one mudslide was cleared, they would encounter another, leading to delays as they had to wait for the authorities to clear the roads. As a result, their journey back to China took an unexpected three days.
Around 10:30 a.m. on August 26, a catastrophic flood and mudslide disaster struck the border area between Tibet and Nepal, submerging Jilong Port in Jilong County, Shigatse City, and engulfing a large number of people and vehicles in floodwaters.
The death toll continues to rise. Nepalese authorities announced on the 27th that nearly 1,500 people, including at least 800 foreigners, were missing in Nepal and Tibet. Among the 826 missing individuals in Nepal, close to 600 were foreigners. As of the 27th, Nepal has confirmed at least 162 fatalities.
The latest official report from the Chinese government on the 27th stated that three individuals had died, 558 were missing, including 260 foreigners.
Concerns remain high as the search and rescue efforts continue, with the possibility of the death toll rising further.