More than 170 people have been killed and hundreds remain missing after devastating flash floods struck the Nepal-Tibet border region on Wednesday, with nearly 300 Indian nationals, including Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims, among those unaccounted for.
Rescue operations continue
Nepalese authorities have recovered 177 bodies so far, while search and rescue operations continue across the Himalayan border region. Severe flooding, landslides and mudslides have caused widespread destruction near the Gyirong immigration port, a key crossing between Tibet and Nepal.
An avalanche of ice and rock, believed to have been triggered by a glacial lake outburst, is suspected to have caused the floods.
Pilgrim couple among missing
The disaster has also left families anxiously waiting for information about relatives stranded in the affected region. Among those missing are US citizens and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cardholders Deepak Ahuja, 60, and his wife Madhu Ahuja, 57. The couple had travelled from the US for the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage and were returning with their group when the disaster struck.
Their last known location was the Gyirong immigration facility in Tibet, where their phones were reportedly last detected around 9 am on August 26.
Damaged infrastructure hampers rescue
Rescue efforts have been hampered by damaged roads, washed-out bridges and disruptions to power and telecommunications. Authorities are continuing efforts to trace missing travellers and evacuate people from vulnerable areas.
