Landslide in Nepal and Tibet: About 1500 people died or went missing. Most of them are tourists, including 53 Ukrainians

In Nepal, near the border with China, a flood occurred, caused by a mudflow.

According to Nepalese authorities on Thursday morning, at least 162 people died, and about 850 people, including about 500 foreigners, are considered missing. This is in Nepal.

Chinese media reported more than 550 missing in Tibet, 260 of whom are foreigners. The cause of the catastrophic flood could have been a huge piece of ice that fell into a mountain river, the BBC writes.

A day after the catastrophic flood occurred on the border of Nepal and China, Nepalese police reported 162 bodies found. As the police stated on Thursday morning, 64 bodies were discovered downstream in Chitwan district, and another 26 in East Nawalparasi.

Among the hundreds of people whose whereabouts are still unknown are 28 police officers. The mudslide swept away the border crossing between Tibet and Nepal.

On Wednesday afternoon, a few hours after the incident, Nepalese police stated that 579 tourists are considered missing, including 466 foreigners from 28 different countries. Among the missing are more than a hundred residents of Nepal, approximately the same number of Indian citizens, 54 US citizens, and 33 Britons.

In Tibet, according to Chinese state media on Thursday morning, at least three people died, and more than 550 are considered missing. Among them are 260 foreign citizens.

All of them were in the area of the border crossing in Gyirong at the time of the flood. This is the main border crossing point for tourists and transport between China and Nepal.

In the evening, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reported that at least 53 Ukrainian tourists went missing in Nepal.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs received a report this morning about the disappearance of a group of 46 Ukrainian tourists in the disaster zone," the foreign policy agency told the BBC Ukrainian Service. "In total, according to information from Nepal's Tourist Police, 53 citizens of Ukraine are currently considered missing as a result of the disaster."

At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that the department has no information about Ukrainians being on the list of dead or injured.

Why there were so many tourists there

The area where the natural disaster occurred, according to the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, is not very popular for organized tours. However, at this time of year in Nepal, there are especially many Buddhist and Hindu pilgrims.

In the disaster area are two pilgrimage sites revered by Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains alike. These are Lake Manasarovar near Mount Kailash in Tibet, on the Chinese side, and Lake Gosainkunda in Nepal, in the Rasuwa district.

Every year, tens of thousands of tourists travel and walk to Lake Manasarovar through Nepal.

Moreover, visiting Lake Manasarovar, as well as bathing in Lake Gosainkunda, is customary primarily at this time.

The trekking route to Mount Kailash is very popular right now, during the full moon, which is considered a good omen.

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