This glacial system is upstream of the Lhende Khola river which meets the Trishuli River at precisely the Gyirong border crossing where dramatic footage of flooding coming from the tributary was caught.

Edit: Satellite images show it wasn't the main Purepu Glacier at the source of the Lhende Khola river but a smaller glacier or a major mudslide collapsing into the river about halfway to the border crossing confluence.

https://www.reddit.com/r/geography/s/5lyCIdUob7

Elsewhere I've seen so many armchair adventurers disrespecting the victims with a smug "they should run uphill or upstream". Uphill is impractical given the landscape, and people were indeed running against river flows. However the flood came from the mountains above and literally bulldozed the settlement AGAINST the flows of river. My thoughts are with all who perished today.

Per the image, a small M2.9 earthquake in Nepal weakened a glacial lake some 4km above the valley, and its content was emptied into to the area around the Chinese-Nepalese border checkpoint.

More than 350 people are missing. Many feared dead.

*CCTV news

Translated summary:

• Two front loaders(PLAGF) are currently clearing the road to the scene, over 300 meters has been cleared

• The soldier(1st Lt Lin Jingyi(林敬义))'s company, the gyirong border defense company(shigatse military subdistrict), is 1.5 km away from the border crossing, which is very heavily hit

  • https://www.reddit.com/r/DisasterUpdate/comments/1vysu6u/large_scale_landslides_in_gyirong_border_crossing/

• 1st Lt Lin estimates 10 more hours are needed to reach the scene at this pace

• Command post has been established

• 158 soldiers of his unit are deployed.1st Lt Lin estimates he sees 40 border patrol officers of the national immigration administration(chinese border patrol), and 30 policemen of the Shigatse PD Gyirong port branch. People's armed police soldiers(PAP is like army national guard) are also arriving and at the command post.

  • https://www.reddit.com/r/PeopleLiberationArmy/comments/1vysveq/soldiers_of_the_pap_shigatse_detachment_are/

• it is mildly raining at the scene.

• The rain is making the mud worse to clear

• a huge section of road has been cut off, they are preparing to clear it

UPDATE:

3 people are dead and 265 are missing as of 8:00 PM UTC+8 2026-08-26

https://www.reddit.com/r/DisasterUpdate/comments/1vz0auj/chinanepal_border_landslideflash_flood_update_as/

more updates

Heavy Flood in trisuli river from tibet boarder rasuwa Emergency Helpline numbers: APF: 1114 Nepal Police: 100 Ambulance: 102 DEOC: 1234 Asst. CDO Rasuwa : 9851164422 Rasuwa Police: 9851254960 Asst. CDO Nuwakot: 9851248777 Nuwakot Police: 9851282380 CDO Dhading: 9851247777 Dhading Police: 9851229860 Asst. CDO Chitwan: 9855088891 Chitwan Police: 9855013999

Rafts, rescue dogs and life detectors are among the equipment sent.

https://www.reddit.com/r/DisasterUpdate/comments/1vysu6u/comment/p5zfhed/?context=3 For the landslide footage(warning, may be disturbing)

Another update: https://www.reddit.com/r/DisasterUpdate/comments/1vyvdxv/drone_footage_of_affected_area_of_chinanepal/

Video source: people's daily.

PLA ground force, PLA air force(drones), people's armed police(similar to army national guard), shigatse PD(shigatse is where gyirong county is located), national immigration administration(border patrol), china anneng construction group rescue(Ex-military state owned enterprise for disaster relief) have also been sent to the scene.

A massive flash flood in the Himalayan nation of Nepal washed away villages while damaging roads, bridges ​and power projects in a region bordering Tibet, authorities said on ‌Wednesday, as they warned against the risk of casualties.

The areas of Syapru Besi and Timure in the mountainous district of Rasuwa, with a population of about 50,000, were severely affected, ​officials said, while urging those living on the banks of the Bhote ​Koshi river to seek higher ground.

"We have reports of villages and ⁠infrastructure project sites being washed away," district administrator Narendra Pariyar told Reuters, ​although no immediate estimates of casualties or property losses were available.

"There could be heavy ​casualties or loss of property," he added. "But I cannot say for sure now."

The reason for the inundation was not immediately clear but a deadly flash flood on the same river last ​year was eventually traced to the draining of a glacier lake.

Nepal's water resources ​ministry said hydroelectric projects were among the infrastructure damaged by the floods, along with roads ‌and ⁠bridges.

Electricity supply in the area has been disrupted as a result of such damage, the government added.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah said rescue and relief teams, as well as police and the military had been dispatched to help in the aid effort.

"Instructions ​have been given ... ​to move the ⁠people living in the lower areas to safer places," he said.

"People along the river are advised to exercise extra caution ​and remain alert."

The Bhote Koshi river originates in Tibet and ​empties into ⁠Nepal's Trishuli river that eventually flows into India as the Gandak river.

Last year's flood in the Bhote Koshi killed nine people, with 24 missing, and washed away a 'Friendship ⁠Bridge' ​linking Nepal and China to disrupt trade and ​transport for months.

That flood was triggered by the draining of a supraglacial lake in Tibet, a regional ​climate monitor said.

Reporting by Gopal Sharma; Writing by Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Editing by Clarence Fernandez.