Nepal floods at China border kill 8, cause 'major casualties' in Tibet / Photo: Prakash MATHEMA - AFP
Nepal floods at China border kill 8, cause 'major casualties' in Tibet
Massive flooding killed eight people in Nepal on Wednesday as Chinese state media reported "major casualties" from a mudslide at a Tibet trade hub on China's side of the nations' shared border.
Images shared by Nepali police showed floodwater surging through a river, sweeping away houses in its path, while AFP images depicted the top floor of one house sticking out from muddy soil.
"So far, eight bodies have been found. Rescue operations are underway," Nepal police spokesman Abi Narayan Kafle told AFP.
Videos shared by Nepal Police and others on social media showed torrents of muddy water crashing through mountain valleys in the Himalayan district bordering China.
"We do not exactly know the extent of damage, but the flood is big, and it could have damaged many settlements," the police spokesman told AFP earlier on Wednesday.
"We have alerted people who are staying near the riverside to relocate... and deployed all our resources," he said.
The Nepal Army said it had deployed helicopters and disaster response personnel to the affected area.
"The work of collecting details of the damage is underway," it said in a statement.
The Nepal Electricity Authority said about 430 megawatts of production capacity, including from hydropower and solar facilities, has been damaged.
"The disaster has damaged the production, transmission and distribution facilities of the Authority... resulting in disruption of electricity supply," it said.
Several highways were also closed, Nepalese authorities said.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported Wednesday that "a mudslide disaster on the Nepalese side resulted in major casualties and missing people at the Gyirong Port" in Tibet.
Footage shared by the broadcaster, which AFP was unable to immediately verify, showed rushing water carrying tree branches and debris, and a flooded road.
State news agency Xinhua said Chinese President Xi Jinping had urged "all-out" rescue operations, but did not provide figures on injuries or deaths.
Xi said that "the most urgent task is doing everything possible to search for and rescue the missing people... quickly treat injured people and minimise casualties to the greatest extent possible", according to CCTV.
Traffic authorities in Tibet's Shigatse said roads in the area were "at risk of mudslides and unsafe for passage" in a post to social media on Wednesday.
In July last year, 17 people went missing after a mudslide near the Gyirong Port, Xinhua reported at the time.
Monsoon rains from June to September regularly trigger deadly floods and landslides across South Asia.
Scientists say climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in the region.
F.R.Mezzatesta--LDdC
