Dhunche, Nepal — Survivors of a devastating flood triggered by a glacier collapse in northern Nepal are grappling with shock and profound loss, as rescue efforts continue to locate those missing. Over 300 people have been confirmed dead, with more than 1,400 still unaccounted for, following the disaster that struck on Wednesday morning along the border with Tibet.
Around 9 a.m., a massive chunk of glacier plunged into the Bhotekoshi River, unleashing a rapid and destructive flood and mudslide through the Himalayan valley. Within minutes, a surge of muddy water, sand, and rock overwhelmed villages such as Timure, sweeping away homes, infrastructure, and residents. The force of the flood was so powerful that it left little trace of the previous landscape, carrying debris deep downstream.
In Timure, 45-year-old resident Dawa Lama described the moment the disaster struck his home of 12 years. He recounted hearing a thunderclap followed by a sudden breeze before the floodwaters engulfed his house, carrying off his wife and two young daughters. "They all died, and I lived," he said, expressing his anguish and uncertainty about the future.
Nearby, other survivors, many rescued by the Nepali Army, gathered at a military base in Dhunche, a town situated approximately 17 miles south of the Tibetan border. With electricity and telecommunication lines down due to the flood, military radio sets have become the primary means of communication. Helicopters have been frequently airlifting injured survivors and delivering emergency supplies such as food rations to isolated communities.
A military official indicated that search and rescue operations would continue for several more days, as teams work to find more survivors amid the ruined terrain. So far, around 700 people have been rescued, with about 500 located on Thursday alone. In the worst-affected areas, some escaped by quickly ascending the steep hillsides above the river, where the water levels reportedly rose more than 650 feet.
One survivor, 38-year-old hairdresser Bhushan Thakur, recounted fleeing his salon when he spotted the oncoming wall of sludge. Along with two others, he fled uphill, narrowly escaping the flood’s destructive path. “We jumped, and jumped,” he said, underscoring how close the disaster came.
Despite the calm appearance of the Bhotekoshi River now flowing through verdant hills under clear skies, visible scars of the catastrophe remain. A major highway that once connected Nepal and Tibet alongside the river is almost entirely washed away, and only fragments of hydropower dams stand amid the mud and rock. Most houses were obliterated unless they stood high on hillsides beyond the flood’s reach.
As relief efforts gather pace, survivors continue to cope with immense grief and uncertainty. The scale of the tragedy highlights the vulnerability of communities living in high-altitude regions where climate change and geological instability pose growing threats.