TRISHULI, Nepal/BEIJING — A huge wall of mud and rock collapsed into a river on the Himalayan border of Nepal and China’s Tibet on Wednesday, triggering catastrophic flooding on the Nepali side that killed scores of people and left hundreds of tourists, including one Israeli, missing.

In a still-unfolding disaster, verified videos showed dozens of people swept away at the border, with authorities on both sides fearing far higher casualties and massive destruction.

Houses, roads and power projects were swept away in Nepal, while officials in Tibet said they feared “major casualties,” with several dead and hundreds missing in the county of Gyirong after a mudslide hit a border land crossing.

“It was a huge gush of mud coming straight toward us. 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,” said Keshav Prasad Baral, a 68-year-old survivor, who was being treated at a small hospital.

“Four or five hours later, a helicopter came to rescue me. My wife is still somewhere beneath the mud. She’s gone.”

Another survivor described being saved by clinging to a mango tree as he watched the house where he had been working disappear.

Collapse may have been triggered by quake

Initial 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.

Some 95 bodies have been recovered and are yet to be identified, the office of Nepal’s prime minister said, adding that 484 tourists were missing, of whom 391 were foreigners and 93 Nepalis.

The missing foreign travelers included more than 100 Indians, three US citizens and 12 British nationals, Nepal’s tourism ministry said. Hebrew media reported that one Israeli citizen was also reported missing, with his condition and whereabouts currently unknown.

How many local people were also missing........

© The Times of Israel