Scores killed as catastrophic flooding destroys critical infrastructure, hampering rescue efforts including search for 300 foreigners.
Here’s the latest
• Hundreds missing: More than 1,300 people are missing – including at least 300 foreigners – after catastrophic flash flooding hit China and Nepal on Wednesday. More than 160 people are confirmed dead, with search and rescue operations ongoing.
• Crushing floodwaters: Dramatic footage shows a torrent of water hitting the mountainous region, submerging villages and wiping out bridges.
• Cross-border trade hit: Critical trade infrastructure in the frontier region has been damaged, threatening an extended halt in economic activity between the two countries. That includes Gyirong Port, which facilitates nearly a third of China-Nepal trade as of 2024.
• What caused the devastation? A powerful landslide blocked the Bhote Koshi river, sending a torrent of water downstream from China to Nepal. A group of scientists believe a glacier may have broken off and fallen into the valley below, which triggered or at least compounded the effect of the landslide.
