Anxious relatives have gathered at hospitals in Kathmandu, desperately searching for news of their missing loved ones after devastating floods along the Nepal-Tibet border claimed at least 180 lives. The disaster, which sent a massive torrent of water and mud crashing through riverside communities, has left hundreds of locals and foreign tourists unaccounted for.
At the government-run Bir Hospital in the capital, families scanned casualty lists and pleaded with officials on Thursday. Among them was Subash Khatani, who was searching for his elder brother, Ram Sharan Rasaili, last heard from in the hard-hit Rasuwa district. Another relative, Chitra Bahadur Nepali, 52, showed photos on his phone of his missing nephew, Yubraj Sewak. Sewak, a driver traveling toward Rasuwa, had lost contact with his family at around 8:00 am on Wednesday.
The disaster was triggered on Wednesday when a powerful wave of mud and water surged down the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers. Nepali police confirmed they had recovered 177 bodies. While Rasuwa in northern Nepal was the first area hit, the destruction spread across seven districts, reaching as far as Chitwan near the Indian border, more than 160 kilometers away.
The US Geological Survey attributed the catastrophe to a glacial collapse, which caused seismic activity and led to downstream devastation in both Nepal and Tibet.
In Tibet, Chinese state media reported that the mudslide disaster killed three people, with 558 others, including 260 foreigners, currently missing. Meanwhile, Nepal's disaster agency reported that 823 people—including 579 domestic and international tourists from 30 countries—remain out of contact.
As rescue operations continue in the affected regions, Bir Hospital authorities announced they would provide free medical treatment to all flood victims and are fully prepared to manage the influx of patients.
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