Karol Darmoros
Hundreds missing
The most tragic situation is in Nepal, where authorities report at least 165 fatalities and 826 missing persons. On the Tibetan side of the border, at least 3 people died and 558 are still unaccounted for.
Among the missing are hundreds of foreigners, including pilgrims heading to Mount Kailash, which is sacred to followers of several Asian religions.
“People are not even able to speak,” Yugnath Adhikari from the village of Dandathok in the Nuwakot district recounted to the Nepali media. Right before his eyes, the rising water swept away two sisters as well as a relative and his wife. “I have never seen anything like this,” he told the Kathmandu Post.
Difficult rescue operation
Assistance to those affected is hampered by the destruction of dozens of bridges and about 40 kilometers of roads. The Nepali army is using helicopters to reach cut-off villages and transport the injured to Kathmandu. On the Chinese side, over 1,500 people have been deployed in the rescue efforts.
Source of the flash flood
Initially, instruments of the United States Geological Survey recorded a signal resembling an earthquake. However, subsequent USGS analyses showed that it was caused by a massive ice and rock avalanche.
According to experts, a massive mass of ice and rocks crashed into the valley, causing a flash flood. At one point along the Trishuli River, the water level rose by about nine meters in just half an hour.
Scientists point to the growing instability of glaciers in the Himalayas. According to recent studies, the rate of ice loss in the Hindu Kush and Himalayan region has doubled compared to the beginning of the century, partly due to rising temperatures.
