At least 24 Canadians are among hundreds of tourists and others missing after massive flash floods swept through a border area of Nepal and China on Wednesday, killing at least 160 people, Nepal’s embassy in Ottawa told Global News.
“As per the updates received as of 7 p.m. Nepal Standard Time … 24 Canadian nationals are reported out of contact,” Nitesh Sapkota, a counsellor at the Nepal embassy, said in an email.
“Government of Nepal has deployed all resources in its power to search, rescue, rehabilitation and treatment of the injured.”
The Canadian government said late Wednesday it was “aware of Canadians who have been affected by the floods” but did not say how many or what condition they were in.
“Global Affairs Canada continues to monitor the situation in the region and takes the safety and security of Canadians and our own personnel abroad very seriously,” the department said in a statement.
“Canadian consular officials in the region are following the situation closely with local authorities and are standing ready to provide consular assistance.”
Police in Nepal reported at least 157 dead. China’s state broadcaster CCTV said a mudslide in the Tibet region’s Gyirong County near the border killed at least three and left 265 missing. Drone footage showed roads destroyed and buildings buried. State news agency Xinhua reported significant casualties.
Images showed what appeared to be the second floors of buildings in hard-hit Nuwakot district slathered in mud after the torrent rushed by. Debris hung from tree branches and wires, vehicles were buried and stunned survivors were caked in mud.
Experts said an avalanche from a glacier was the likely cause in the warming Himalaya region.
Many missing were on pilgrimage to a sacred site
Officials in Nepal said 403 people, including 341 foreign nationals, were reported missing.
Sunil Sharma, a tourism board spokesperson, told the Associated Press that 133 were from India on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus. Also missing were 47 from the United States, 34 from Australia, 33 from Britain and 24 from Canada, he said.
Global Affairs Canada said there were 820 Canadians in Nepal and five in Tibet who are registered with its citizens abroad program as of Wednesday. It noted the number of voluntary registrants may not accurately reflect the true number of Canadians in the region.
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The U.S. State Department said it was aware of Americans affected.
At least 62 missing Nepali citizens were among hundreds of locals trekking in the Gosaikunda Lake area in Rasuwa, coinciding with the local festival of Janai Purnima on Friday, Sharma added. Nepal police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle told the Associated Press at least 28 police officials were missing.
Officials warned residents in several districts to stay away from the banks of the Bhotekoshi, Trishuli and Narayani rivers. The Bhotekoshi flooded around 9 a.m. Wednesday, destroying several villages and hydropower projects, officials said. At least 19 bridges were swept away.
“We have asked both India and China to help us with the rescue efforts,” government spokesperson Sasmit Pokharel told the AP.
The U.S. Geological Survey first reported a magnitude 4.4 earthquake early Wednesday, about 66 kilometers (41 miles) north of Kathmandu, near the border. The USGS later updated to call it a 5.2 magnitude landslide.
Though the current monsoon season is less favorable for trekking in Nepal, it’s a major season for Kailash trekking in Tibet, which follows the route in Nepal’s Rasuwa district bordering Tibet’s Gyirong.
Countries express alarm over missing citizens
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said her department was in contact with local authorities and was ready to assist Canadians in the region, but did not confirm if any Canadian tourists were missing.
“Canada stands with all those affected by the tragic flash floods along the border of Nepal and China that have caused loss of life, widespread destruction and washed away villages,” Anand wrote on X.
“Our thoughts are with all those affected, the families who have lost loved ones and the first responders working tirelessly under extremely difficult conditions.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney said his government was monitoring the situation and is prepared to provide support, calling the flooding “absolutely devastating.”
“Canadians are thinking of all those in distress right now, those who have lost a loved one, and all those who are still waiting for answers,” he said on X.
South Korean government officials said nine citizens working on building a hydropower plant in Nepal were among those reported missing. Malaysia’s foreign ministry said its embassy received reports from travel agencies that they had lost contact with 11 Malaysians believed to be in Rasuwa district. Russia’s embassy in Nepal said four citizens reportedly in the affected area were missing.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah and offered help. “India is prepared to provide Nepal with all possible types of humanitarian assistance. Our teams are closely coordinating on rescue and relief efforts,” Modi said on social media.
Some United Nations bodies were deploying “in an effort to meet what will clearly be massive humanitarian need,” U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.
In a joint statement, Australia, Britain, the European Union, Finland, France, Norway and Switzerland expressed solidarity with people in Nepal, adding: “We encourage all those in affected areas to follow the guidance of local authorities and official safety advisories as the situation continues to evolve.”
The same region saw flash floods last year
Climate experts at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development said an avalanche from a glacier likely caused Wednesday’s flash flood.
“Hydrological observations indicate the exceptional speed and magnitude of the flood wave,” they said in an emailed statement, noting that water levels at one point on the Trishuli river rose by as much as nine meters (27 feet) over half an hour.
The Lhende Khola River, a tributary of the Bhotekoshi, had maximum flooding, they said.
“The Lhende Khola has flooded twice in 14 months, this time triggered by an ice rock avalanche from a glacier on the Nepal side that blocked the river and released a sudden surge downstream,” said Saswata Sanyal, a disaster risk reduction specialist at the climate research group.
He noted the importance of early warnings in “a warming Himalaya.”
The region saw similar flash floods in August last year, when a glacial lake in Tibet overflowed because of high temperatures. Nine people were killed, and critical infrastructure, including a bridge connecting Nepal and China, was damaged.
The Himalayan region, which spans several countries including India, is especially vulnerable to heavy rains, floods and landslides because of warming due to human-caused climate change. Research shows that extreme weather events, including heat waves, rains and melting glaciers, have become more frequent.
Researchers in Kathmandu found earlier this year that glaciers across the Hindu Kush Himalaya region are melting at an accelerating rate, with ice loss rates doubling since 2000, primarily due to rising global temperatures and climate change.
—With files from Global News’ Jillian Piper and the Associated Press
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Canadians of convenience most likely
My thoughts are with their families.