Ten Torontonians are missing in Nepal after devastating flash flooding and mudslides, a non-profit in the region says, as the death toll for the disaster passes 500.
A spokesperson for the Isha Foundation, a spiritual group based in India, said 10 people from Toronto had arrived at the Nepal-China border minutes before the flooding hit.
The group said they were considered missing in Nepal after reaching the Chinese Immigration Centre at 9:05 a.m. local time, around the same point the flooding began.
Global Affairs Canada has previously said that at least 30 Canadians were reported missing near the Nepal-China border. More than 500 people are reportedly dead and a further 1,500 are missing.
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China’s state media previously said 558 people were missing on the Chinese side. Hundreds of the missing are foreigners in the area to work, trek or make a pilgrimage to a sacred peak.
The flooding and mudslides appear to have come after a falling glacier triggered a catastrophic series of events high in the Himalayas.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a magnitude 5.2 seismic event occurred near the border between Nepal and Tibet, an autonomous region of China, on Aug. 26 at 8:37 a.m. local time.
The event was initially reported as an earthquake, but additional analysis determined the seismic event was caused by a glacial collapse that is believed to have resulted in the flow of debris that caused “catastrophic impacts downstream.”
“It is biblical — the amount of power when we get ice falling large distances. The amount of kinetic energy is really enormous. And when it hits the water, it just produces these incredible floods downstream. It’s hard to imagine that devastation,” Kent Moore, a professor of atmospheric physics at the University of Toronto, previously explained.
“A lot of these glaciers are what are called hanging glaciers, and so they’re kind of on very steep slopes and they’re frozen onto the rock. As the area warms, that adhesion with the rock is becoming less strong, and so there’s a greater kind of tendency for these avalanches to occur.”
— with files from Global News’ Ariel Rabinovitch
@Yeah. May Karma pay you back for your horrible comment
I am quite certain not a single one of them were Torontonians before they died like bitches in their homeland.
@Youknowme,
You are the only poster making racism oriented comments, just so you are clear on this.
China is rich and should be willing to help with the search and rebuilding. It’s time for Canada to look after Canadians.
So they are just foreigners not even canadians. The world needs less of these people who just reproduce like rabbits.
Canadians are involved, but this is not the only point to why we are obligated to help. It’s a simple humanitarian obligation. It’s the right thing to do.
10 from Toronto, 23 from Canada
@Ben. If in Canada of course we would help. But this wasn’t in Canada. That is the point.
Why are we not suprised most of the Canadians in the area are from the GTA.
Ben – I call it buyer beware. This is a high alpine Mountain area. Floods happen, and other things. The infrastructure is poor in Nepal. People need to be aware of their surroundings and the risks associated with it. Let’s not be naive about things.
@Katherine Smith. “They should have known the risks” doesn’t justify standing by while innocent people suffer. By that logic, are people living in areas prone to fire or flooding in Canada responsible and we shouldn’t help them? No.
Goodbye Boomer, it’s been nice, hope you found your paradise.
Nepal people living in Canada should donate and go back to help their countrymen. There should be no expectation for Canadians from not there to donate or support.
@Youknowme
The people in the comments are the only ones sticking up for white people these days. God knows the media in this country skips with glee whenever a white person can be put down, but should a criminal be POC then its always just an unnamed individual.
People have had enough and are done with the tribalism, if things dont change the resentment is only going to get worse
People should know the risks when they travel abroad, especially to third world countries. Probably Elbows Up Canadians that decided to boycott the USA.
If its white canadians then the condolences will flow here. If its not then we will see all the idiotic and racist comments flooding the comment boxes. New reality