Nepal – A tremor felt in Nepal shortly before deadly flash floods struck on Wednesday was not caused by an earthquake but by a powerful landslide, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The tremor was initially detected by the USGS at around 8:37 a.m. local time as a magnitude 4.4 earthquake in the Nepal-China border area north of Kathmandu. The agency later determined that a massive landslide had occurred at roughly the same time, sending a huge volume of debris down a mountainside into the Lende Khola River, a tributary of the Bhote Koshi River flowing from China into Nepal.
The landslide was powerful enough to produce seismic activity equivalent to a magnitude 5.2 earthquake, according to the revised assessment. The debris blocked and disrupted the river, contributing to the sudden flooding that followed.
Rescue and relief operations are now underway in Rasuwa and other affected areas. Nepal Police have so far recovered 157 bodies, according to Indian broadcaster NDTV, while authorities are evacuating families from areas at risk of further flooding.
At least 403 tourists were reported missing in the hours following the disaster, including 341 foreign nationals, Nepal’s Tourism Ministry said. Nepal’s Tourism Board reported that 142 of the missing foreign nationals were Indian citizens. Nationals of Australia, Britain, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea and the United States were also among those reported missing.
Rescue teams are racing against time to locate survivors and recover bodies buried beneath mud and debris. Prime Minister Balendra Shah has pledged to deploy all available government resources for relief and rescue efforts.
At around 9 a.m. local time, the Bhote Koshi River, which originates in Tibet, rose suddenly. Rasuwa, bordering Tibet, as well as Dhading and Nuwakot districts, were among the areas affected by the flooding.
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