Rescuers search for survivors after Nepal floods

Rescuers in Nepal used helicopters on to scour for hundreds still missing after a wall of mud and rock collapsed into a river on the Himalayan border with China's Tibet, sending catastrophic floods through towns and valleys, killing 162. More than 400 foreign nationals were among 579 tourists missing, Nepal tourism officials said, after the disaster swept a region thronged by trekkers and pilgrims, while police said they expected the death toll to rise beyond 162. "This will go up, as we have resumed the search and more bodies are expected to be recovered," police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle told Reuters. Among the missing tourists, 47 were from the United States, 34 from Australia, 33 from Britain and 24 from Canada, Sunil Sharma, a spokesperson for Nepal's tourism board, told the Associated Press news agency. The tally of missing in the mudslide disaster in Tibet's Gyirong county was 558, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said, including 260 foreign nationals, but it was not immediately clear if the two nations' figures overlapped. Two Irish nationals and 12 UK citizens, including a 13-year-old girl, remain missing in the Rasuwa region of Nepal, the tour operator leading the excursion has said. Alpine Eco Trek, which offers guided tours and expeditions in Nepal, confirmed to PA that two Irish nationals on its tour across the Nepal-Tibet border were missing. Some 157 bodies had been recovered so far, Nepal police said. Kumar Adhikari, the manager of Alpine Eco Trek said the tour group, who were on a nine-day tour to Mount Kailash, were crossing into Tibet from Nepal when they became trapped at the border as the flash floods struck. He said he was in contact with his tour guides until 8.40am when their phones went offline, at which point the group would have been inside Tibet's immigration office. "We were hoping that inside it was safe," he said. "But later the video came from China’s government which (showed) even Tibet’s side was hit by the flood." In a statement the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says it is closely monitoring the situation following serious flooding in Nepal. The Department, including the Embassy of Ireland to India which covers Nepal, will provide consular assistance to impacted Irish citizens and their families, the statement added. It pointed out that as with all consular cases, the Department does not comment on individual cases. Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee said her department is monitoring the situation, and stands ready to assist Irish citizens impacted. Irish citizens requiring assistance can contact the Embassy of Ireland in India at +9111 4940 3200. Verified videos showed crushing masses of water and debris sweeping away dozens of people at a border crossing in Gyirong, with homes, roads and power projects washed away further downstream in Nepal. "It was a huge gush of mud coming straight towards us, said Keshav Prasad Baral, a 68-year-old survivor, being treated in hospital. "As it got closer, it kept rising higher and higher. When I saw it enter our home, I tried to grab my wife's hand and take her to the terrace. But she was swept away by the mud." A helicopter ferried him to safety four hours later. "My wife is still somewhere beneath the mud," he added. "She's gone." Another survivor said he saved himself by clinging to a mango tree as he watched the house where he had been working disappear. In the hardest-hit districts, helicopters are dropping tents, food and other emergency supplies provided by neighbouring India said Raja Ram Basnet, a spokesperson for Nepal's army. Early reports from Nepali officials suggested an earthquake in the area could have caused the lower part of a glacier to collapse and trigger the floods. The US Geological Survey said an earthquake with magnitude initially reported as 4.4 was in fact seismic energy generated by the collapse of glacial rock and ice, followed by debris flow. Many of the victims were making a pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar, a high-altitude site in Tibet revered by Hindus and Buddhists among others. Mount Kailash, which Hindus believe to be the abode of Lord Shiva, lies on the banks of Lake Mansarovar, also held sacred in various religions. The US State Department said it was sending a disaster response adviser and providing assistance of $500,000 (€429,000). Canada was also closely following the situation, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on X, describing the floods as "absolutely devastating". UN eams and partners were sending supplies and personnel to support affected Nepali communities, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. China's state broadcaster tallied three deaths and 265 missing in Gyirong, but added the toll was still being verified amid the rescue effort. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said 34 Australians were among the missing "Nepal ... is a developing country," he said. "It doesn't have the resources that an event like that would have in Australia, so information is difficult." UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said his government will do "everything we can" to support British nationals in Nepal. South Korea said eight nationals working on a hydropower plant were missing, with Malaysia and Japan also reporting some missing nationals. Many of the victims were on a pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar, a high-altitude site in Tibet that is revered by Hindus, Buddhists and others. Mount Kailash, believed by Hindus to be the abode of Lord Shiva, lies on the banks of Lake Mansarovar, also seen by various religions as sacred. Read more: What triggered the catastrophic flood on the Nepal-Tibet border? Drone footage captures devastation as floods wreak havoc in Nepal People swept away while fleeing Security footage captured on the Chinese side of the border showed many people fleeing from a torrent of rock, mud and water destroyed buildings and vehicles that killed many. People seeking information about family members missing from the affected areas of Nuwakot and Dhading gathered outside a Nepali army training centre that was the base for helicopter rescue operations, the images showed. Police were recording the names of the missing just outside the barracks gate, using mobile phone torches as their only source of light as the area remained without electricity due to damaged hydropower infrastructure. In the affected areas, houses, trees and vehicles were submerged or buried in mudslides. Helicopters hovered overhead all day in the area bringing in survivors. An initial study of Planet Labs satellite imagery indicated that a landslide of ice and rock triggered a debris-laden flood in the Lhende River, about 20km northeast of the Nepal-China Rasuwagadhi border crossing, Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said on X. Rescue helicopters could not land in Nepal's affected areas of Syapru Besi and Timure in the mountainous district of Rasuwa, with a population of about 50,000, officials said, with the river flowing above its normal course. Television images showed collapsed homes, floating cars anda metal bridge being washed away, while witnesses told Reuters the waters engulfed entire villages. "There is devastation everywhere we look," Tula Bahadur BK, a health worker in Rasuwa, told Reuters. "The settlements next to the river have been completely swept away. Five of my own relatives are missing." Trekking company reports 47 missing A group of 47 people including two children are missing in Nepal, their tour company told AFP. The group included 15 Australians, 10 Canadians, nine Nepalese, eight Americans, two Britons, two Singaporeans, and one Russian-American dual citizen, Himalayan Glacier managing director Sanket Pandey said. "At this time they are still missing," he told AFP. "Our team are checking hospitals where victims are coming in." The US-based trekking company's founder, Sagar Pandey, is also the president for trekking agencies in Nepal, and had flown over the affected area in a helicopter but was unable to land. Among the 15 Australians missing are two teenage boys, he said. Most of the group were staying in the Rasuwagadhi area hit by the flood, with several travelling into the town, he said. Seven Nepali guides are among the missing group. Gyirong port impacted China's official Xinhua news agency said the mudslide hit the Gyirong port, cutting roads, communications and power links in the Shigatse region near the border. A rescuer interviewed by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said they had been trying to establish contact with the Gyirong border port but "so far there haven't been any results". All roads leading to the border crossing had been "completely destroyed" after a preliminary inspection with a drone, the rescuer added. With the deluge of muddy water sweeping down from anestimated nearly 2,000 metres above sea level, flood alerts were issued in the populous northern Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which border Nepal and where several rivers flow down the mountains into the plains. Authorities in Bihar said they had evacuated about 5,000 people from six districts and planned to evacuate a total of 10,000 to 12,000 people. Additional reporting PA