At least eight people have been killed in the massive flash floods that struck the Himalayan nation of Nepal on Wednesday, a police spokesperson said.
Nepal sent helicopters to the rescue on Wednesday after a massive flash flood swept away villages in the Himalayan nation, killing eight and damaging roads, bridges and power projects in areas near Tibet, authorities said.
Across the border, Tibet reported "major casualties" with some missing in the neighboring county of Gyirong after a mudslide hit a land crossing between China and Nepal, the Xinhua official news agency said.
Officials said the waters were too high for helicopters to land in Nepal's affected areas of Syapru Besi and Timure in the mountainous district of Rasuwa, with a population of about 50,000, while flagging the risk of casualties.
"There could be heavy casualties or loss of property," district administrator Narendra Pariyar told Reuters. "But I cannot say for sure now."
Pariyar urged those living on the banks of the Bhote Koshi river in the area to move to higher ground, citing reports that nearby villages and infrastructure project sites were washed away.
"It all came suddenly," the Onlinekhabar portal quoted a witness from the area as saying. "We heard a loud sound, like a volcano erupting. People started to scream and ran away."
Nepal's rescue helicopters would be unable to land in the affected areas until the waters recede, however, army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet said.
The cause of the inundation was not immediately clear, but a deadly flash flood on the same river last year was eventually traced to the draining of a glacier lake.
China says Gyirong port affected
The mudslide on the Nepali side hit China's Gyirong port, Xinhua added, cutting off roads, communications and power in the Shigatse region near the border with Nepal, it added, without giving details.
President Xi Jinping urged "all-out" search efforts for the missing as well as stronger monitoring and early warning systems to prevent secondary disasters.
Nepal's energy ministry said 430 MW of electricity supply was affected, mostly from hydroelectric projects, or more than 12% of the country's total hydropower capacity of 3.2 GW, Reuters calculated.
Police, military joining Nepal rescue teams
Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah said police and military were joining rescue and relief teams.
"Instructions have been given ... to move the people living in the lower areas to safer places," he said. "People along the river are advised to exercise extra caution and remain alert."
From its origins in Tibet, the Bhote Koshi river empties into Nepal's Trishuli river that eventually flows into India as the Gandak river.
Last year's Bhote Koshi flood killed nine people, with 24 missing, as it washed away a 'Friendship Bridge' linking Nepal and China, disrupting trade and transport for months.
A regional climate monitor said the flood was triggered by the draining of a supraglacial lake in Tibet.
The Environment and Climate Change portal is produced in cooperation with the Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. The Jerusalem Post maintains all editorial decisions related to the content.
