Hundreds of tourists are missing due to a landslide in Nepal. What the media is writing

A massive flood with landslides occurred on the border of Nepal with Chinese Tibet. As a result of the sudden disaster, more than 160 people died, hundreds are missing, including numerous foreign tourists. A powerful stream of mud and ice could have formed due to a glacier that broke off as a result of global warming. What the media write about the tragedy is in the Izvestia digest.

The Guardian: more than 1.5 thousand people are missing, mostly tourists

As a result of the catastrophic flash floods in Nepal and Chinese Tibet, which destroyed entire villages in the Himalayas, about 1.5 thousand people were missing, most of them tourists. The preliminary death toll is 165 people. Rescuers are rushing to find people in the mountainous region, popular with tourists and pilgrims. Hundreds of citizens of India, the United States, Great Britain, Australia and Canada have been declared missing.

Many of the victims made pilgrimages to Kailash Mansarovar, a mountainous place in Tibet revered by Hindus and Buddhists. Initial reports from Nepalese officials indicated that an earthquake in the area could cause the lower part of the glacier to collapse and cause flooding. However, the US Geological Survey later stated that the initial 4.4 magnitude earthquake was caused by the collapse of glacial rocks and a stream of debris.

The New York Times: Rescuers comb the Himalayan valleys in search of survivors

The search for the missing after the devastating floods in the Himalayas continues for the second day. Rescuers working along the Nepal-Tibet border in China face enormous difficulties. A giant torrent of mud, water, rocks and ice destroyed roads, broke bridges, collapsed buildings and cut off communications. Scientists said that the flood was most likely caused by the breaking off of a huge piece of ice from a glacier high in the mountains.

In Rasuwa, a mountainous region north of Nepal's capital Kathmandu, schools and hydroelectric power plants were affected by the destruction. The UN, citing Nepalese authorities, said about 10,000 households needed "immediate assistance." Communications are still down in some areas, making it difficult for authorities to determine the full extent of the loss of life and damage. Nepal deployed security forces and helicopters to search for survivors and evacuate the wounded.

How global warming is changing the world. Analysis: part 1

Reuters: Glacier collapse could trigger flash flooding in Nepal

Deadly flash flooding near Nepal's border with Tibet may have been caused by the breakaway of the lower part of the glacier and its collapse to the valley floor hundreds of meters below, experts said, citing satellite images. The reason for the collapse of the glacier remains unclear. Satellite images of the region taken before and after the disaster showed that the lush green mountainsides are now buried under brown debris and sediments.

According to UN data released in 2023, Nepal's snow-capped mountains have lost almost a third of their ice in just over 30 years due to global warming. In the same year, the agency added that glaciers in Nepal, located between the two largest sources of carbon dioxide emissions — India and China — have been melting 65% faster over the past decade than in the previous one.

CNN: People around the world are desperately searching for news about the missing

When floodwaters poured down deep mountain gorges and flooded the Nepalese valley, it devastated the already vulnerable communities along the overflowing river, where representatives of many ethnic groups live and farm. But it also caused shock all over the world, because hundreds of foreign citizens are missing. Families across the United States, India, Canada and other countries are desperately waiting for news of their missing loved ones.

The authorities have not yet released the names of the dead and missing, but the scale of the tragedy is becoming apparent. Social media is full of countless calls for help, including from the Nepali diaspora abroad. Many residents have spent years rebuilding their lives after the catastrophic earthquake in Nepal in 2015, which claimed the lives of more than 8,000 people. Hundreds of families, forced to leave their homes, moved to the low-lying banks of the Trishuli River and faced another terrible disaster.

How global warming is changing the world. Analysis: part 2

Bloomberg: landslide in Tibet engulfed a complex of buildings at the border crossing to Nepal

A wall of mud and water collapsed on the border complex at the main land entry point from China to Nepal. It was one of the most dramatic incidents that occurred during the massive flash flooding on the border. One video shows how a landslide collapses a large border structure, and another shows people running through the streets, fleeing from a wave that destroyed a multi—level parking lot on the roof of which buses were parked.

The edge of the mudflow extended about 2.5 km downstream from Gyirong point, the thickness of mud deposits reached 1.5 m. A barrier lake has formed in the area, which complicates rescue operations. Gyirong was Tibet's largest land port bordering Nepal and an important trade corridor between China and South Asia, especially after the Zhangmu-Kodari border crossing was severely damaged in the 2015 Nepal earthquake. In 2017, Beijing upgraded Gyirong into an international border crossing, and has since built logistics parks, cargo terminals, and other infrastructure.