- At least 19 people died and nearly 400 are missing after flash floods in Nepal's Rasuwa district
- Floods swept through villages, damaging infrastructure along the Bhote Koshi River near Tibet border
- CCTV footage shows a massive surge of water and debris flooding Gyirong Port in Tibet and entering Nepal
At least 19 people have died, and several others, including 105 Indians and 37 NRIs, are among the nearly 400 missing after flash floods in Nepal's Rasuwa district bordering Tibet swept through villages and damaged infrastructure on Wednesday.
CCTV footage from Gyirong Port in Tibet shows a massive flash flood surging through the area, which then crossed into Nepal's Rasuwa district, causing widespread destruction along the Bhote Koshi River.
The video shows a massive surge of muddy water, rocks and debris rushing in from upstream and rapidly flooding a parking lot, sweeping vehicles and generating a thick cloud of dust and mist.
The clip also shows people scrambling and running before the floods engulf them within seconds, turning a border facility into chaos in moments.
The flood surged through the Bhote Koshi River at around 9 am (local time), coming from the Tibet side, affecting the Rasuwa and Dhading districts bordering Tibet and the Nuwakot district, southwest of Kathmandu, officials said.
According to the Nepal Tourism Board, at least 384 travellers, including 291 foreigners and 93 Nepali nationals, are reported missing from the flood-affected area.
These travellers include 105 Indian tourists, 37 NRIs and the remaining tourists from the USA, Malaysia, the UK, South Africa, Australia and the Netherlands.
At least 59 of the Indians were pilgrims for the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra, Samrat Tours and Travel agency said.
The Nepal Army said that helicopters and disaster response personnel have been deployed to the affected area.
Devastating Visuals
Videos shared by Nepal Police and others on social media showed torrents of muddy water crashing through mountain valleys in the Himalayan nation's districts bordering Tibet.
"We do not exactly know the extent of damage, but the flood is big, and it could have damaged many settlements," Nepal Police spokesman Abi Narayan Kafle told AFP.
"We have alerted people who are staying near the riverside to relocate... and deployed all our resources," he said.
Monsoon rains from June to September regularly trigger deadly floods and landslides across South Asia. In July last year, 17 people went missing after a mudslide near the Gyirong Port.
