At least 22 killed and hundreds missing after avalanche triggers deadly flash floods in Nepal

UDIN DHUNGA, Nepal (AP) — Massive flash floods in Nepal on Wednesday killed at least 22 people and left hundreds of tourists, workers and others missing after sweeping through communities and bringing travel in parts of the Himalayan country to a halt.

China's government across the northern border also launched search and rescue efforts, with no immediate toll reported there.

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Officials in Nepal said 384 tourists, including 291 from countries such as India, the United States, Britain and Malaysia, were reported missing. Tourism board officials said most of the missing likely were from India and the Indian diaspora on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus.

Officials warned residents in several of Nepal's districts to stay away from the banks of the Bhotekoshi, Trishuli and Narayani rivers. The Bhotekoshi flooded around 9 a.m. Wednesday, destroying several villages, roads and hydropower projects, officials said.

"We have asked both India and China to help us with the rescue efforts," said Sasmit Pokharel, a Nepali government spokesperson.

Nepal's steep valleys are economic lifelines and travel corridors but precarious ones when disaster strikes. Images showed what appeared to be the second floors of buildings in hard-hit Nuwakot district slathered in mud after the torrent rushed by. Debris hung from tree branches and wires, vehicles were buried and stunned survivors were caked in mud.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported a magnitude 4.4 earthquake early Wednesday, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Kathmandu, near the border with China's autonomous region of Tibet.

The Trishuli river roughly parallels a highway north of the Kathmandu area that is used to reach one of Nepal's most popular treks in the Langtang area.

Countries express alarm over missing citizens

South Korean government officials said citizens working on building a hydropower plant in Nepal were among those reported missing.

Malaysia's foreign ministry said its embassy in Kathmandu received reports from travel agencies that they had lost contact with 11 Malaysians believed to be in the Rasuwa district, also hit hard by floods.

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Meanwhile, Chinese authorities were conducting large-scale search and rescue operations in the Tibetan border area of Gyirong, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Authorities didn't announce any numbers of dead or injured.

Chinese authorities were conducting large-scale search and rescue operations in the Tibetan border area of Gyirong, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Authorities didn't announce any dead or injured.

Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered authorities to step up the efforts, state news agency Xinhua reported. Xi also called for residents at risk to be evacuated from any area on the Chinese side.

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah and offered help. "India is prepared to provide Nepal with all possible types of humanitarian assistance. Our teams are closely coordinating on rescue and relief efforts," Modi said on social media.

In a joint statement, Australia, Britain, the European Union, Finland, France, Norway and Switzerland expressed solidarity with the affected people in Nepal., adding: "We encourage all those in affected areas to follow the guidance of local authorities and official safety advisories as the situation continues to evolve."

The same region saw flash floods last year

The same regions saw similar flash floods in August last year, when a glacial lake in Tibet overflowed because of high temperatures. Nine people were killed, and critical infrastructure, including a bridge connecting Nepal and China, was damaged.

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Climate experts at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development said an avalanche from a glacier likely caused Wednesday's flash flood.

The Lhende Khola River, a tributary of the Bhotekoshi, had maximum flooding Wednesday, they said.

"The Lhende Khola has flooded twice in 14 months, this time triggered by an ice rock avalanche from a glacier on the Nepal side that blocked the river and released a sudden surge downstream," said Saswata Sanyal, a disaster risk reduction specialist at the climate research group.

He noted the importance of early warnings in "a warming Himalaya."

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The Himalayan region, which spans several countries including India, is especially vulnerable to heavy rains, floods and landslides because it is warming faster than the rest of the world due to human-caused climate change. Research shows that extreme weather events, including heat waves, rains and melting glaciers, have become more frequent.

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Researchers in Kathmandu found earlier this year that glaciers across the Hindu Kush Himalaya region are melting at an accelerating rate, with ice loss rates doubling since 2000, primarily due to rising global temperatures and climate change.

Associated Press writer Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, contributed to this report. Arasu reported from Bengaluru, India.