Nepal floods: Aerial views reveal devastation after deadly disaster

Aerial footage has captured the scale of devastation along Nepal’s Trishuli River after a massive flood and landslide disaster near the Nepal-Tibet border killed at least 160 people and left hundreds missing.

The images show damaged buildings, roads and other infrastructure along the river in Nuwakot district, highlighting the destructive force of torrents of water and debris that swept through communities on both sides of the border.

The US Geological Survey said the disaster was linked to a glacial collapse and debris flow, rather than an earthquake as initially reported. It said a magnitude 5.2 seismic event was recorded near the Nepal-China border at 8.37 am local time on August 26.

The sudden surge caused catastrophic downstream impacts in Nepal and Tibet, with many people, including foreign tourists, still reported missing.

Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal had initially suggested that an earthquake may have triggered a landslide that blocked a river before unleashing a destructive wall of water.

Other possible explanations included a glacial lake outburst flood or an ice avalanche, as rescue teams continued searching for survivors and missing people.

About 403 people, including 341 foreign nationals, are reported missing as the scale of the crisis continues to grow following a catastrophic flash flood that devastated the Nepal-China border region, sweeping away homes, roads, bridges and vital infrastructure in one of the Himalayas’ deadliest disasters in years.

 Video: AFP