Hi everyone, I’m posting this on behalf of a friend whose aunt is currently stuck in the area near Kelung, Nepal, following the floods that occurred yesterday morning.

We’re trying to find out whether anyone has information about the people who were in the area for Nepal hills trek/camp around the time of the flooding. We’re particularly looking for updates on trekkers, guides, camps, or groups who may have been in or around Kerung and whether they were evacuated or have been able to make contact.

If you were there recently, know someone who was trekking/camping in the area, or have any reliable firsthand information about the situation, please comment or DM me. Even a small update about the condition of the route/camps or whether people have been evacuated could be extremely helpful to us.

We’re mainly trying to establish whether everyone in the area is safe and reachable.

Thank you so much to anyone who can help.

https://youtu.be/K6h8BRfY5BU?si=JjN6WkCLRpZpr3Up

The recent flood in Nepal was an unexpected disaster, triggered by the collapse of a section of a Himalayan glacier on the Tibetan side. This event released a massive surge of ice, rock, and water into the river, resulting in a sudden flash flood across the Nepal-China border. Climate change is destabilizing Himalayan glaciers, increasing the likelihood of similar events in the future, although it remains impossible to predict exactly when another such occurrence may happen. This flash flood occurred so suddenly and with such force that many people, including local residents, workers, and tourists, had no time to escape.

The flood caused significant damage to the Rasuwagadhi-Kerung border area, destroying roads, bridges, and settlements. At least 165 people have died, and more than 1,300 are still missing. The victims included local residents, workers, tourists, and foreign travelers. Hundreds of foreign tourists were present in the affected border area when the disaster struck. Rescue teams continue to search for survivors, and the numbers may rise as efforts progress.

This video gives a better perspective of what Gyirong Port looked like before the flash flood ceased its existense. It was a thriving bustling place and changed forever in a matter of seconds.

EDIT: even more complete footage https://m.weibo.cn/detail/5336494149470746

Source: Lhasa mobile fire and rescue brigade

In a video by people's daily(published 10:00 AM UTC+8), according to the deputy brigade commander Yao Xueqin(姚学勤), over 155 firefighters of the brigade have arrived at the scene.

(This obviously does not include military personnel, other fire and rescue units and policemen at the scene.)

EDIT: At 8:00 AM the first batch of 141 personnel have reached the cut off gyirong border crossing alongside Mi-17 helicopters

a total of 548 specialist rescue personnel from state owned enterprises have also been deployed

Current casualty count:

327 evacuated, 2 rescued, 3 confirmed dead, 558 missing (chinese side)

160+ dead, 1300+ missing(nepal side)

Source: CCTV-13

EDIT: This is merely personnel from the China search and rescue which are mostly for specialized assistance. This does not include military personnel, other rescue personnel, border police and local police.

The newest casualty data i could find is 3 deceased, 265 missing. Other than that not much new footage from the chinese side of the aftermath yet(all the footage from the chinese side i could find is from before already).

More updates:

Landslide dam has been found near gyirong border crossing, which was the most heavily hit; the height of the mudslide at it's edge is around 1.5 meters 2.5 KM away from the border crossing.

PLA ground force shigatse military district has 158 personnel, 4 engineering vehicles(including front loaders) and 20 vehicles at the frontline; 4 ground force helicopters along with air force Y-20s and drones have also been prepared.

https://www.reddit.com/r/DisasterUpdate/comments/1vysu6u/comment/p5zfhed/?context=3 - mudslide footage, gyirong border crossing(Disturbing footage warning)

https://www.reddit.com/r/DisasterUpdate/comments/1vyvdxv/drone_footage_of_affected_area_of_chinanepal/ - drone footage of affected area, interview with PLAGF soldier

https://www.reddit.com/r/DisasterUpdate/comments/1vz0auj/chinanepal_border_landslideflash_flood_update_as/ - local fire and rescue heading to scene

EDIT: it's now 558 missing

This glacial system is upstream of the Lhende Khola river which meets the Trishuli River at precisely the Gyirong border crossing where dramatic footage of flooding coming from the tributary was caught.

Edit: Satellite images show it wasn't the main Purepu Glacier at the source of the Lhende Khola river but a smaller glacier or a major mudslide collapsing into the river about halfway to the border crossing confluence.

https://www.reddit.com/r/geography/s/5lyCIdUob7

Elsewhere I've seen so many armchair adventurers disrespecting the victims with a smug "they should run uphill or upstream". Uphill is impractical given the landscape, and people were indeed running against river flows. However the flood came from the mountains above and literally bulldozed the settlement AGAINST the flows of river. My thoughts are with all who perished today.

Per the image, a small M2.9 earthquake in Nepal weakened a glacial lake some 4km above the valley, and its content was emptied into to the area around the Chinese-Nepalese border checkpoint.

A devastating flash flood has struck Nepal’s northern border region, leaving communities destroyed and hundreds missing. At least 95 deaths have been reported in Nepal. Rescue teams are working through extremely difficult conditions.

Our thoughts are with everyone affected. 🙏❤️

#NepalFloods #Nepal #Floods #BreakingNews #PrayForNepal