Rescue efforts are continuing in Nepal and Tibet after flash floods that have killed hundreds and left many more missing. But fears that a lake formed by the landslide could overflow and cause fresh flooding, along with difficulty accessing disaster-hit areas, are hindering rescue and recovery missions. Lucy Hough speaks with south Asia correspondent Hannah Ellis-Petersen, who is in Nepal, about the situation on the ground – watch on YouTube The Guardian
Category: The Guardian
Families of 33 missing Britons rush to Nepal as fears grow of more floods
Families are rushing to Nepal to search for the 33 British nationals who are still missing, as fears mount over the risk of a second wave of flooding in the region. The catastrophic flash floods that hit Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday, thundering down valleys and sweeping away entire villages, have killed at least 538 people, while more than 1,500 remain missing. Among them are hundreds of foreign tourists who were visiting the mountainous region, which is popular with trekkers and pilgrims for its natural beauty and religious significance. Relatives…
Nepal-Tibet flood: this is the cost of not acting in the face of the climate crisis | Sunil Acharya
As a Nepali citizen working on international climate policy for more than a decade, it is difficult to look at the harrowing images coming out of the catastrophic flash flood that thundered down valleys in Nepal, sweeping down the Lhende Khola, Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers, and not feel angry. Not just because of the destruction, but because it comes after years of warnings from scientists and civil society that a rapidly warming planet would make disasters more frequent, more intense and harder to predict. This is what the cost of…
Flood risk forces halt to rescues in Tibet, as Nepal death toll rises to 469
A lake formed by a landslide on the Nepal-Tibet border has started to overflow, putting at risk areas devastated by a flash flood two days ago and forcing a temporary halt to rescue efforts, authorities in China and Nepal have said. Residents in Nepal’s Rasuwa district, on the border with Tibet, were seen rushing up hillsides to escape any surge in the river level, according to a witnesses. Authorities in Nepal have stopped rescue operations for at least 90 minutes, an army officer said. The risk of the lake bursting…
Nepal-Tibet flash flood live updates: death toll rises to 469, police say; debris-clogged river at risk of flooding again
From 28m ago Nepal death toll rises to 469, police say Nepal police have said that the death toll from Wednesday’s flash flood now stands at 469. It’s a jump of 80 since the last reported update, and comes as search teams continue recovery efforts across the disaster-struck area. More than 1,300 remain missing, including hundreds of tourists from India, the US, Britain, Australia and Canada. Efforts to locate those unaccounted for have been complicated by the destruction of dozens of bridges and 40km (25 miles) of roads in the…
Nepal-Tibet flash flood: what we know so far on day three
Nepal and China both warned of new flooding risks in the Himalayas because of two lakes that have developed along debris-choked rivers on either side of their border. Nepal’s disaster authority said water levels were rising in a lake formed by debris clogging a flooded site and that it was at risk of bursting its banks. It did not name the specific site. Chinese authorities warned that a newly formed lake at the confluence of the Tsogyal and the Purupqiangzangbu rivers was overflowing and might burst. More than 500 foreign…
Climate crisis could be destabilising mountain areas like Nepal, experts warn
The devastating flash flood that has ripped through the border communities of Nepal and Tibet has heightened fears that the climate crisis is destabilising the geology of mountain and polar regions, threatening millions of people. Satellite imagery suggests a glacier collapse high in the Himalayas was the primary cause of the deadly torrent of mud, water and ice that tore along the Bhotekoshi River on Wednesday. It swept away buildings and roads and left at least 360 dead and 1,400 missing. A magnitude 4.4 earthquake was initially blamed for the…
Race to get aid into Nepal and Tibet amid warnings flood lake could burst
The international community was scrambling to get aid into flood-stricken parts of Nepal and Tibet on Thursday as authorities warned that a lake formed at the site where the deadly torrents occurred was rising and at risk of bursting. The catastrophic flash floods that hit Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday, thundering down valleys and obliterating entire villages, killed at least 389 people and left more than 1,300 missing. Efforts to locate those unaccounted for – including hundreds of tourists from India, the US, Britain, Australia and Canada – have been…
‘Tsunami from the sky:’ floods leave trail of devastation in Nepal and Tibet – The Latest
Hundreds of people are missing or have been killed after a catastrophic flash flood hit Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday. Entire villages have been destroyed, many of which are popular pilgrimage and trekking destinations for tourists. Lucy Hough talks to global editor Devika Bhat about how the devastating event unfolded The Guardian
How deadly flash floods unfolded in Nepal and Tibet – The Latest
Hundreds of people are missing or have been killed after a catastrophic flash flood hit Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday. Entire villages have been destroyed, many of which are popular pilgrimage and trekking destinations for tourists. Lucy Hough talks to global editor Devika Bhat about how the devastating event unfolded – watch on YouTube The Guardian