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
Tag: Natural disasters
Deadly flash flood shown sweeping through valley toward village in Nepal – video
Eyewitness footage captured a flood sweeping through a village in Nepal’s Himalayan region after a massive collapse of mud and rock triggered catastrophic flooding near the border with China’s Tibet region. The video, filmed near Betrawati Bazaar in Uttargaya municipality, showed a torrent of flood water, mud and debris rushing down a mountainside and covering part of a settlement. The Guardian
Girl, 13, among missing British citizens after flash flood in Nepal
Twelve British citizens including a 13-year-old girl are among 384 travellers missing after a flash flood in the Rasuwa district of Nepal, according to reports. The Nepali tourist board said the “sudden” flood happened on the Tibetan side of the Bhote Koshi River at about 8.30am local time on Wednesday. It said 12 Britons, four South Africans and four Nepalis were in the area with Alpine Eco Trek. The company, which offers guided tours and expeditions in Nepal, confirmed that 12 British nationals on its tour across the Nepal-Tibet border…
‘Major casualties’ feared after flash floods along Nepal-Tibet border
Hundreds are missing and at least 22 people have died after torrential floods hit the Himalayan border areas of Nepal and in Tibet in China. Houses, roads, bridges and power projects were swept away in Nepal while officials in Tibet said they feared “major casualties” with some missing in the county of Gyirong after a mudslide hit a land crossing between the neighbours. Officials said 384 tourists, including 291 from countries including India, the United States, the United Kingdom and Malaysia, were reported missing Rescue helicopters could not land in…
Super Typhoon Ragasa batters Hong Kong – video
Super Typhoon Ragasa has caused widespread flooding and damaged roads in Hong Kong, which resumed international flights on Thursday but kept kindergartens and some schools closed. Ragasa, the strongest storm so far this year, killed 14 people in Taiwan and 11 in the Philippines, according to officials. More than 100 people were injured in Hong Kong The Guardian
China earthquake: death toll rises to 131 as freezing weather hinders rescue efforts
The death toll from China’s earthquake has risen to 131, with almost 1,000 people injured, as rescuers dig through rubble in below freezing conditions. The magnitude-6.2 earthquake struck just before midnight on Monday, in Jishishan county near the border of Gansu and Qinghai provinces, destroying or damaging more than 150,000 homes, according to state media. The quake, which was followed by several strong aftershocks, caused mud and landslides, and damaged power lines and other local infrastructure “to varying degrees”. On Wednesday morning authorities said the official death toll had risen…
Rescuers search for survivors after deadly earthquake in north-west China – video
At least 116 people have been killed and about 400 injured in an earthquake in China’s north-west Gansu and Qinghai provinces, state media has reported. The strong, shallow earthquake struck shortly before midnight, sending residents fleeing outside, into below-freezing temperatures. Thousands of houses have been reported damaged, with rescuers working by torchlight to helping people out of collapsed houses The Guardian
Earthquake in north-west China kills at least 111
At least 111 people have been killed in a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in north-west China’s Gansu and Qinghai provinces, according to the state news agency. Xinhua said that 100 people had died in the province of Gansu and another 11 in neighbouring Qinghai province in the quake, which occurred just before midnight on Monday. More than 200 people were injured, 96 in Gansu and 124 in Qinghai after the strong, shallow earthquake struck in Gansu’s Jishishan county.. The quake caused significant damage, bringing down houses, and sent people running into…
Mudslide in Xi’an, north-western China, leaves 21 dead and six missing
A mudslide in China’s north-western city of Xi’an has killed 21 people, with six still missing, officials said on Sunday. The city’s emergency management authority released an update on the number of casualties from Friday’s disaster as China grapples with unusually high summer rainfall. The state-owned broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) had earlier reported that 18 people were dead or missing, with two confirmed casualties. A video released by the state’s official Xinhua news agency showed broken trees and rubble piling up along muddy roads in a village, with houses…
China earthquake kills 21 as tremors shake locked-down Chengdu
At least 21 people have been killed in a strong earthquake that struck south-western China and was felt by millions of people confined to their homes under a strict Covid lockdown in Chengdu. The 6.6-magnitude quake hit about 26 miles (43km) south-east of the city of Kangding at a depth of about six miles, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. Fourteen people died in Shimian County and seven were killed in nearby Luding County, while more than 30 were injured, according to the state broadcaster, CCTV. Tremors also shook buildings…