Hundreds missing and many feared dead after massive flash flood hits Nepal-China border

By Magdalena Sofia Vitores Moreno, Billy Stockwell and Laura Paddison

(CNN) – Catastrophic flash flooding has hit China and Nepal, with more than 150 people confirmed killed and the death toll likely to rise. Hundreds of tourists, including at least 47 Americans, are reported to be missing.

The small Himalayan nation has been badly hit. Dramatic footage shows a torrent of water hitting the Nepal-China border and villages lie submerged . Emergency personnel using helicopters have been rescuing stranded people from rooftops.

State media in China reports some casualties and more than 250 people missing. A mudslide hit China’s Gyirong port, with Chinese leader Xi Jinping urging “all-out” search efforts. The quick response of China’s leadership is another sign of the severity of the disaster.

Nepal’s foreign minister said an earthquake triggered a large landslide, which in turn blocked the Bhote Koshi river, sending a torrent of water downstream from China to Nepal.

A helicopter pilot who witnessed Wednesday’s deadly flash flood from the air near the China-Nepal border said he estimated the waves to be “as high as five to six meters.”

“We could see water waves as high as five to six meters … We started circling around villages there and could see big trees along with a few vehicles being swept away,” Aman Budathoki said. “It was a very scary situation. We even tried to chase the flood for a while just to assess the damage unfolding.”

He concluded by saying he had never witnessed the power of nature “unfold like this.”

While avalanches can be caused by a number of factors, climate change often plays a role, scientists say. Nepal, in the rapidly-warming Himalayan region, is home to thousands of glaciers which are melting and destabilizing as temperatures rise.

The-CNN-Wire
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