A catastrophic flash flood, believed to have been triggered by a mudslide or an ice-rock avalanche, struck the Himalayan border region between Nepal and China's Tibet on Wednesday. The disaster resulted in at least nine confirmed deaths and left hundreds of people missing, including 105 Indians, 93 Nepalis, three U.S. citizens, 12 British nationals, and eight South Koreans. The wall of mud and rock collapsed into a river, causing widespread destruction in Nepal's Rasuwa district, particularly in the Syapru Besi and Timure areas.
The flood caused immense infrastructural damage, sweeping away houses, roads, and power projects. Notably, 430 MW of electricity supplies were affected, representing over 12% of Nepal's total national hydropower capacity of 3.2 GW. The economic impact is significant, particularly due to the devastation of the Rasuwagadhi-Timure border trade area, a crucial overland route for Chinese goods into Nepal. The customs yard was entirely swept away, with more than 500 vehicles awaiting clearance feared to be lost, along with other imported goods like garments and electronics. This route is vital for Nepal's automobile supply chain, with imports through Rasuwagadhi totaling Rs45.73 billion in the last fiscal year.
The destruction of the Rasuwagadhi crossing is a major setback for Nepal-China trade, especially as the route was still recovering from a similar flood last year that damaged the Nepal-China Friendship Bridge and customs infrastructure. The previous year's disruptions already caused the customs office to miss its revenue target by a significant margin, collecting only Rs13.64 billion against a Rs40 billion target. The current flood is expected to further disrupt vehicle deliveries and increase transportation costs for importers, potentially impacting Nepal's imports of automobiles and festive-season goods. Both Nepalese and Chinese authorities have launched extensive rescue operations, mobilizing military, police, and helicopters to the affected regions, though rescue efforts have been hampered by the high water levels.
While the exact cause of the mudslide remains unconfirmed, initial reports suggested an earthquake in the area might have triggered an avalanche, as a 4.4 magnitude quake was recorded approximately seven minutes before the security footage timestamp. Officials are also investigating the possibility of a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF). China's state broadcaster CCTV reported that 574 rescuers were deployed to the Gyirong land crossing on the Tibetan side, which also experienced damage to roads, communications, and power links.
