On Wednesday morning (August 26), a catastrophic flash flood and mudslide occurred in the border area between Jilong County in Shigatse, Tibet, China and Rasuwa District in Nepal, severely affecting towns along the Bhote Koshi River. The sudden disaster not only destroyed villages but also damaged roads, bridges, several hydropower plants, and other essential infrastructure, resulting in significant casualties.
Footage circulating on social media platforms abroad showed the powerful flood sweeping through the border region between Nepal and China, with people fleeing in all directions as the floodwaters engulfed everything in its path. However, videos from within China related to the calamity were swiftly deleted by internet regulators.
The death toll and number of missing persons from this disaster continue to rise. As of today (27th), at least 168 people have been confirmed dead in both China and India, with nearly 1500 individuals missing.
According to Nepalese police and tourism officials, at least 165 people have perished in Nepal, with 826 individuals still missing, including close to 600 foreign tourists. Chinese state media reported that the mudslide in Jilong County has resulted in 3 deaths and 558 people missing, among whom 260 are foreign nationals.
As rescue operations are still ongoing and with a significant number of people unaccounted for, the death toll is expected to rise further.