Bhutanese nationals travelling in Nepal and Tibet have been reported safe following devastating flash floods that struck the northern Nepal-China border region, killing hundreds and leaving more than a thousand people missing, according to international media reports.
Bhutanese travel operators have confirmed that pilgrims currently in Nepal are safe and are staying in Kathmandu. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also said that it has received no reports of Bhutanese casualties in the disaster.
The available list of foreign nationals reported missing in Nepal’s Rasuwa district does not include any Bhutanese.
A Bhutanese travel agent currently in Tibet also confirmed to BBS that their group was safe. They are presently in Samye in central Tibet, roughly two days’ journey from the disaster-hit region.
The situation is of particular concern for Bhutanese travellers because pilgrims heading to Tibet commonly use the Gyirong land crossing on the Nepal-China border. Gyirong and surrounding areas were among the places affected by the disaster.
Rescue and search operations are continuing on both sides of the border as authorities attempt to locate survivors and assess the extent of the destruction.
Mountain Collapse Triggers Destructive Surge
The disaster originated high in the Himalayas near Nepal’s border with China, where a massive section of ice and rock reportedly broke away from a mountainside and plunged into the Lhende Khola, a tributary of the Bhote Koshi River.
The collapse dumped an enormous volume of rock, ice and sediment into the waterway, temporarily obstructing the river. As water accumulated behind the natural barrier, pressure increased until it eventually broke through, releasing a powerful surge downstream.
The force of the mountain collapse also generated strong seismic signals. Early reports suggested that an earthquake had occurred in the area. However, the US Geological Survey subsequently attributed the detected ground movement to the enormous landslide rather than a conventional tectonic earthquake.
The resulting flood swept through the narrow Himalayan valleys carrying mud, boulders and other debris. Rasuwa district, which borders Tibet, suffered extensive damage before the floodwaters travelled farther downstream towards Nuwakot and other areas.
Across the international border, Gyirong County in Tibet was also affected.
Debris flows of this magnitude are especially dangerous because they behave differently from ordinary flooding. Experts often compare their consistency and destructive power to flowing concrete: fast-moving water becomes heavily loaded with soil, rocks and other material, allowing it to destroy structures and carry heavy objects downstream while giving communities little time to react.
Nepal Disaster Highlights Bhutan’s Own Risks
The catastrophe has also drawn attention to the vulnerability of other Himalayan countries, including Bhutan.
The steep terrain of the Himalayas makes the region particularly susceptible to cascading disasters. A landslide or collapse can obstruct a narrow mountain river and create a temporary dam. Large quantities of water can then accumulate behind it, sometimes for only a short period, before the obstruction fails and sends a sudden wall of water and debris downstream.
Similar dangers can arise from glacial lakes. Bhutan has more than 1,600 glacial and subsidiary lakes, of which 17 have been identified by the National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology as potentially dangerous.
The country’s mountainous terrain and extensive river systems mean that communities can face threats from glacial lake outburst floods, landslide-induced floods and other sudden hydrological events.
To reduce the danger to downstream settlements, the National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology has established flood early-warning stations in vulnerable areas.
The monitoring systems are intended to detect dangerous changes in water levels and provide advance warning to communities downstream. In disasters where floodwaters and debris can travel through narrow valleys at great speed, even a relatively short warning period can provide crucial time for people to evacuate to safer ground.
As rescue operations continue in Nepal and Tibet, the disaster serves as another reminder of the growing challenge of protecting communities and travellers from sudden and highly destructive hazards across the Himalayan region.
