The flood and debris flow that started on Langtang Lirung on August 26, then struck the Kyirong Valley, has killed at least 1,453 people in Nepal and Tibet. Another 6,664 remain missing.
Nepal accounts for most of the dead and missing: 1,410 killed and 6,145 unaccounted for. In Tibet’s Kyirong County, officials have reported 43 dead and 519 missing.
Hundreds of the missing on both sides of the border are foreigners, including pilgrims going to Mount Kailash, traders, hydroelectric workers, trekkers, and travelers using one of the busiest land crossings between China and Nepal.
How it fell
Rock and ice broke away from the north flank of 7,227m Langtang Lirung, triggering a massive debris flow down the Lhende Khola River toward the border.
The landslide began around 5,200m and fell more than 2,200 vertical meters. Moving swiftly, it traveled 20 to 22km in just seven minutes. The impact completely destroyed the buildings along the Tibet–Nepal border, the road to Gyirong Port, and the Rasuwagadhi crossing.
The collapse was initially reported as a small earthquake but was later classified as a landslide that triggered a magnitude 5.2 seismic shock wave. Downstream, the resulting flood filled hydroelectric tunnels with mud, wrecked bridges, and flattened villages along the river. While the debris bypassed the main Langtang trekking valley, it tore through the trench between Kyirong and Rasuwa before surging down the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli Rivers.
Glacier collapse on the North Face of Langtang. Photo: Google Earth via Nepalitimes.com
The destruction was immediate and concentrated within the narrow valley floor.
The figures are still changing. Officials say the missing-person lists may include unidentified bodies and people already found. Identification has been slow. Some bodies were carried 240km downriver into India.
