At Least Eight Russians Reported Missing After Deadly Nepal Flood
At least eight Russian nationals remain unaccounted for after a devastating flood of mud and water struck the Himalayan border region between Nepal and China. Nearly 1,500 people, including around 800 foreign tourists, are reported missing across the affected area.
Russia's Embassy in Kathmandu said Thursday that at least eight Russian citizens are still missing following a catastrophic flood that struck the Himalayan region along the Nepal-China border on Wednesday. The embassy said it is working with Nepalese authorities to locate the missing citizens as search efforts continue in the devastated valley.
Embassy officials said two Russian women managed to survive by climbing up a mountain slope during the disaster. Both later reached out to diplomatic staff while they awaited permission to cross at a checkpoint on the Nepal-China border.
Scale of the disaster
The flood was triggered when a large collapse of rock and ice sent a wall of mud and water surging down a river in the Himalayas. Nepalese authorities estimate that nearly 1,500 people are unaccounted for in the region, among them roughly 800 foreign tourists. Police in Nepal have warned that the confirmed death toll is likely to exceed 165, while authorities on the Chinese side of the border reported three deaths there.
Researchers at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development said the likely cause was an ice-and-rock avalanche high in the mountains that temporarily dammed a tributary river before the blockage gave way, unleashing the flood downstream. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the collapse produced a seismic signal comparable to a magnitude 5.2 event, sending a large volume of debris rushing down the valley.
