Deadly flood hits Nepal-Tibet border, hundreds unaccounted for

The disaster, which occurred on Wednesday, involved a torrent of mud and debris from a river between China and Nepal, burying buildings. Chinese state media reported major casualties from a mudslide at a Tibet trade hub on China’s side of the border, prompting President Xi Jinping to order an "all-out" rescue effort. Nepal's tourism board stated that Americans, Indians, an Australian, Malaysians, and Britons are among the missing.

The Nepal Electricity Authority reported damage to approximately 430 megawatts of production capacity, including hydropower and solar facilities, leading to electricity supply disruptions. A preliminary assessment by Sarthak Shrestha, an analyst at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, suggests a rock-ice avalanche in Nepal blocked the Lhende river, causing the flood. Nepali authorities have closed several highways, and a second flood may be imminent due to a blockage upstream on the Nepal-China border river.