Nearly 1,500 people, including hundreds of foreign nationals, remained missing across Nepal and China’s Tibet on Thursday after a glacier collapse unleashed catastrophic floods of mud, rock and water through Himalayan valleys.
At least 160 people have been confirmed dead, while Nepali police warned the toll was expected to rise as rescue teams reached areas buried beneath thick sediment or isolated by destroyed roads and bridges.
In Nepal, 826 people were reported missing, including hundreds of foreign tourists from more than two dozen countries.
Among them were 177 Indians, 63 Americans, 34 Australians, 33 Britons and 25 Canadians.
Chinese state media reported 558 people missing in Tibet’s Gyirong County, including 260 foreign nationals, while three deaths were confirmed there.
More than 5,000 Nepali army and police personnel joined rescue operations, using helicopters, drones and search dogs.
Authorities said 125 people, including 20 foreigners, were rescued on Thursday.
Helicopters also delivered tents, food and other emergency supplies, including assistance provided by India, to communities cut off by the disaster.
The United States announced $500,000 in assistance and a disaster response adviser, while United Nations teams and other international partners mobilised support.
Satellite imagery indicated that ice and rock collapsed high in the Himalayas before striking the Lhende River in Tibet, roughly 20km northeast of the Nepal-China border crossing.
Debris temporarily blocked the river before releasing a powerful surge downstream through Nepal, devastating settlements and infrastructure.
Early reports suggested an earthquake may have triggered the collapse, but the US Geological Survey later determined that the seismic signal was generated by collapsing glacial rock and ice and the subsequent debris flow.
Authorities in China were also monitoring a still-dammed lake upstream in Gyirong that could complicate rescue operations and pose additional risks.
Many victims were pilgrims travelling toward Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet.
Rescue teams continued searching heavily damaged areas as officials worked to account for residents, tourists and pilgrims still missing.