Nepal-China Border Floods: A Devastating Tragedy
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The remote Nepal-China border crossing in Gyirong became the centre of a devastating Himalayan tragedy when catastrophic flash floods swept through on August 26.
A dark wall appears from behind the buildings at Gyirong...
By Soutik Biswas and Phanindra Dahal, BBC Nepali
The video lasts only seconds. A dark wall appears from behind the buildings at Gyirong, on the Chinese side of the Nepal-Tibet border, resembling almost a black cloud. It gathers shape and speed: water, mud, boulders, ice, and rock surging down the valley. The timestamp reads 10:59:53 local time.
What unfolded in the following minutes remains challenging to reconstruct. However, fragments of video and satellite imagery offer glimpses of the destruction:
- Gyirong Devastation: Much of the border complex appears wiped out, with buildings once lining the valley floor gone.
- Rasuwagadhi Loss: Across the frontier, Rasuwagadhi in Nepal's Rasuwa district suffered extensive damage. The Friendship Bridge connecting Nepal and China, along with Nepal's immigration and customs facilities, was swept away.
"This is a historic travel route...geologically vulnerable," explains Ajay Dixit, a Kathmandu-based hydrologist.
The Impact:
- Over 100 Indians were in or around the crossing at the time.
- At least 275 Indians remain missing in Nepal, according to India's foreign ministry.
- Nepal's immigration system recorded its final transaction just before 9 am local time, with four employees going missing.
Foreign Nationals:
The last recorded transactions included:
- 32 Indians
- 12 Chinese nationals
- 9 Americans
- Citizens of Britain, Canada, Australia, and Italy.