A major flash flood occurred along the Bhote Koshi River at the Nepal-Tibet border earlier this week, resulting in significant loss of life and widespread displacement. The disaster struck at approximately 8:30am local time on Wednesday when a wall of mud and rock collapsed into the river, triggering catastrophic flooding on both sides of the border. British authorities confirmed that 33 UK citizens are among the missing, including a 13-year-old girl. The overall toll includes more than 400 travellers unaccounted for, with at least 341 foreign nationals among those missing. Nepali police reported that 157 bodies had been recovered, and more than 40 injured individuals were receiving hospital treatment.
The affected tour group was part of a nine-day expedition to Mount Kailash organized by Alpine Eco Trek, a company offering guided tours in Nepal. The tourists were crossing from Nepal into Tibet at the time the floods struck. Tour operators lost contact with their guides at 8:40am when the group was inside Tibet’s immigration office. Four Nepali tour guides employed by Alpine Eco Trek are among the missing. Additional casualties included eight South Korean workers at a nearby hydropower plant, with ten others stranded.
Initial investigations suggested that an earthquake may have triggered an avalanche, which subsequently caused the flooding. The disaster resulted in destruction of houses, roads, and energy infrastructure across affected districts. Authorities in Tibet expressed concern about major casualties, with reports of missing persons in the county of Gyirong following a mudslide at a border crossing. Local officials issued warnings for tourists in the Rasuwa district and surrounding areas along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers to exercise extreme caution and relocate to higher ground. Travellers planning to visit affected areas in the coming days were advised to postpone their journeys. Multiple international embassies issued joint statements expressing solidarity with Nepal and urging people in affected areas to follow local safety guidance.
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