By The South Asia Times

KATHMANDU/BEIJING - At least 160 people have died, and nearly 900 others are missing after devastating flash floods and mudslides struck Nepal and China’s Tibet region along their Himalayan border on Wednesday, according to the latest reports from authorities and state media.

Nepal has reported 157 deaths and 629 people, including 403 tourists, are missing, including hundreds of foreign nationals, after a sudden surge in the Lhende Khola and Bhotekoshi River devastated Rasuwa district near the Nepal-China border. The flooding swept away roads, bridges, homes and other infrastructure and disrupted access to several areas.

On the Chinese side, authorities in Gyirong County in southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region reported three deaths and 265 people missing after a mudslide struck Gyirong Port.

The disaster damaged roads and cut road links, communications and power supplies to the Chinese side of the border crossing.

The combined figures put the reported death toll at 157 and the number missing at nearly 900, although authorities continue to verify the figures as rescue teams reach affected areas.

Nepalese authorities said an initial analysis of satellite imagery indicated that a snow-and-rock landslide along the border may have triggered the debris-laden flood. Reuters separately reported that an earthquake-induced ice-rock avalanche may have caused the sudden surge in the Lhende Khola.

Rescue operations are continuing on both sides of the border. Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered an all-out search and rescue effort, while Nepal has mobilized its security forces and helicopters to search for missing people and evacuate those stranded by the disaster.

Authorities have also warned of further floods and landslides as rainfall is expected to continue in the region, raising concerns about additional casualties and disruption along the important China-Nepal border corridor.

More than 380 tourists, predominantly foreign nationals, remain unaccounted for in Nepal following devastating floods and landslides that have swept across the Himalayan nation, authorities confirmed on Wednesday.

The catastrophic toll has raised serious concerns over the safety of trekkers and visitors who were in remote mountainous regions when the extreme weather struck. The individuals are believed to have been on various trekking routes, including the popular Annapurna Circuit, which has been severely impacted by the disaster.

Nepal has been battered by unusually heavy monsoon rains, triggering widespread flash floods and landslides that have blocked major highways and isolated entire districts. The country’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority has been on high alert, issuing warnings of continued severe weather.

The government has launched extensive search and rescue operations, but efforts have been hampered by ongoing rainfall, difficult terrain, and the risk of further landslides. Many areas remain inaccessible by road, leaving helicopters as the only viable means of reaching stranded individuals.

Authorities have not yet released a breakdown of the nationalities among the missing, but the figure of over 380 unaccounted individuals underscores the scale of the crisis engulfing the country's vital tourism sector during the peak trekking season. The foreign ministry is working to compile a comprehensive list as embassies in Kathmandu scramble to account for their citizens.

The disaster comes as Nepal grapples with the impacts of an intense monsoon season, which typically runs from June through September and frequently brings deadly flooding to the region.

The CCTV footage on social media shows that the flood has caused huge destruction to infrastructure and killed dozens of people.