At least 157 people have been killed and hundreds of others are missing after catastrophic flash floods struck the border region between Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday. Authorities in Nepal provided the updated death tally after recovering additional bodies, while Nepalese police, cited by the BBC, said 579 tourists were missing – including 466 foreign nationals from 28 countries. A spokesperson from Poland’s foreign ministry said that it had no information yet about Polish citizens being affected by the disaster, adding that Polish consulates in the region were constantly monitoring the situation. Floodwaters swept through the Himalayan region on the Nepal-China border on Wednesday, destroying homes, roads, bridges and hydropower infrastructure around the areas of Syapru Besi and Timure. Across the border, Chinese authorities reported “major casualties” after a mudslide struck the Gyirong crossing. Deadly torrent Footage posted to social media showed structures, vehicles and people being swept away by the deadly torrent, which investigators suspect may have been released after an earthquake-triggered avalanche blocked the Lhende Khola river. Later reports suggested the flood may have also been triggered by part of a glacier breaking off and plummeting hundreds of meters into a valley, according to Reuters. Nepal’s tourism board said missing foreign nationals include citizens from India, Australia, the Netherlands, the US, Malaysia, the UK and South Africa, with the nationalities of some missing foreigners yet to be confirmed. South Korea said that eight of its citizens who were working on a hydropower plant in the affected area were also missing. ‘All-out’ search efforts Authorities have warned that further flooding may occur due to part of a Nepal-China border river remaining blocked, while high water levels preventing helicopters from landing have hampered rescue efforts. Chinese state media reported that Beijing had deployed hundreds of personnel in rescue efforts, with Chinese President Xi Jinping calling for an “all-out” search for missing people, according to Reuters.
