Tourists missing after flash floods in the Himalayas
Here the landslide sweeps over the town of Gyirong.
Hundreds of tourists are missing after floods in the Himalayas.
At least 157 people have been confirmed dead.
The Swedish Foreign Ministry currently has no information about missing Swedes.
It is still unclear what caused the devastating flash flood in the Himalayan mountain range, on the border between Nepal and Tibet.
But according to CNN, initial reports indicate that an earthquake triggered an avalanche of ice and rock.
– This is a cascade-like hazard and what happens in the icy mountains can quickly flood cities downstream, says Saswata Sanyal, who works at ICIMOD, a regional knowledge and research center for the Himalayan region.
“The waves were six meters high”
Helicopter pilot Aman Budathoki witnessed the chaos when he was flying near the border between China and Nepal.
– The waves were five to six meters high. Before landing, we could see dust rising from the river. We thought it was the army using explosives to build roads, he tells CNN.
384 people have been reported missing, of which 291 are foreign tourists. Twelve British citizens, one American and about a hundred Indians are among those missing.
The Swedish Foreign Ministry has no information about missing or dead Swedes at the time of writing.
– The Foreign Ministry is in contact with the embassy in New Delhi and the consulate in Nepal, their press service tells Aftonbladet.
A major rescue operation has been launched.
So far, 157 people have been confirmed dead, reports NRK and refers to Reuters.
Mudslide
In the affected areas, there is extensive damage to houses, roads and bridges and other infrastructure. Surveillance footage from the border town of Gyirong in Tibet shows a mudslide and water sweeping over a building.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has ordered a massive search and rescue operation and the Chinese government has sent personnel to Tibet.
Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah describes the disaster as sudden and massive.
– The entire nation is shocked and deeply saddened. I send my deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones.
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