Hundreds killed, over 1,000 missing after Himalayan flood

TRISHULI, Nepal, Aug 27 (Reuters) – Rescuers searched Himalayan valleys and hillsides on Thursday after a flash flood that killed at least 359 people and left nearly 1,000 missing, as Nepal and China warned of a risk of fresh flooding from water pooling in two lakes.

Both countries said a glacier ​collapse on Wednesday morning sent a huge torrent of rock, ice, mud and debris cascading through Himalayan mountain river systems, sweeping through villages and key infrastructure down a route thronged by trekkers and pilgrims that links Kathmandu with Lhasa in Tibet. Of those , at least 540 are foreigners.

Authorities in Nepal used helicopters to search for survivors and drop emergency supplies to thousands cut off in towns and valleys, while emergency services recovered dozens of bodies swept down into the plains. The sheer amount of water and debris stirred up now risks triggering a further disaster.