A vast area along the border of Nepal and China’s Tibet has been devastated by a terrible natural disaster in the Himalayan mountains. Last Wednesday, a devastating heavy rain and mudslides from a mountain river in the Himalayas turned many villages and hill towns into ruins. On Thursday, Reuters and local sources reported that at least 165 bodies have been recovered in this incident so far, but police fear that the death toll could rise many times more. At least 1,500 people are missing in Nepal and China’s Tibet since the disaster, including more than 800 foreign tourists and pilgrims.

The disaster occurred in the important Rasuagadhi and Zirong counties on the Nepal-China border connecting Lhasa and Kathmandu. According to eyewitnesses, a huge wall of mud and rocks came crashing down and swept everything away in the blink of an eye. The powerful stream of mud and water coming down from the high mountains has wiped out houses, roads, bridges and several power projects.

Nepal police said that 826 people, including about 600 foreigners, are missing from the Nepalese part alone.

The missing foreigners include Indians, Americans, Australians, Britons and Canadians. On the other hand, a total of 558 people, including 260 foreigners, are missing in Zirong County in Tibet, according to Chinese state media CCTV. Many of them were pilgrims on the famous Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

Scientists have begun investigating the exact cause of this terrible disaster.

The USGS said that although initial reports indicated that it was a magnitude 4.4 earthquake, the tremor was felt as a response to the enormous force created by the collapse of a large part of the glacier. This ice and rock slide caused such devastating floods from debris carried by the fast-flowing mountain stream into the Lende River. There have been reports of an artificial lake being blocked upstream in Tibet, which has been identified by Chinese authorities. If this lake breaks, the rescue operation could become more complicated and risky.

More than 5,000 members of the military and police are currently conducting rescue operations in the remote mountainous area affected by the accident.

Tents, dry food and emergency medical supplies are being delivered to thousands of stranded people by helicopter. This relief operation is being carried out with the help of Indian and various international organizations.

Source: Reuters