24 Canadians among hundreds missing after flash floods kill more than 160 in Nepal, Tibet
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floods → miss → Nepal
Nepal's ambassador to Canada confirmed Canadian tourists among the missing
Massive flash floods in a border area of Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday killed more than 160 people, and left hundreds of tourists — including 24 Canadians — workers and others missing after sweeping through communities and bringing travel in some areas to a halt.
Nepalese police reported 162 dead, while China's state broadcaster reported at least three dead and more than 558 missing in Tibet's Gyirong county as of early Thursday.
Among those, 260 were foreign nationals, CCTV said.
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CCTV → confirm → those
The Bhotekoshi River flooded around 9 a.m. local time Wednesday, destroying several villages as well as roads and hydropower projects, Nepali officials said.
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officials → flood → villages
They issued warnings to residents in several of Nepal's districts and asked them to stay away from the banks of the Bhotekoshi, Trishuli and Narayani rivers.
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They → issue → rivers
"We have asked both India and China to help us with the rescue efforts," said Sasmit Pokharel, a spokesperson for the Nepali government.
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Pokharel → ask → government
Sunil Sharma, officiating director of the Nepal Tourism Board's public relation and publicity department, said 403 people, including 341 foreign nationals were reported missing, including 24 Canadian citizens.
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people → officiate → citizens
Nepal's ambassador to Canada later confirmed the information about the Canadians.
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ambassador → confirm → Canadians
In an interview with CBC News, Bharat Raj Paudyal said that while he cannot confirm the circumstances around the Canadians, the affected area is both popular with hikers
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area → say → Canadians
Prime Minister Mark Carney called the flash flood "absolutely devastating."
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Carney → call → flood
In a statement on social media, he asked all Canadians in the region to register with the ROCA (Registration of Canadians Abroad) system as soon as possible, and said Canada stands ready to provide support.
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Canada → ask → support
"Canadians are thinking of all those in distress right now, those who have lost a loved one, and all those who are still waiting for answers," he added.
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he → think → answers
<br> <br>Canadians are thinking of all those in distress right now, those who have lost a loved one, and all those who are still waiting for answers.<br>
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who → think → answers.<br
br>Our government is closely following the situation and…
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government → follow → situation
—MarkJCarney
Global Affairs Canada said it is aware there are Canadians who have been affected by the floods and while it has consular officials in the region, it may take time to establish communication due to power outages.
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it → say → outages
If you or someone you know needs emergency consular assistance in the region, Global Affairs Canada's Emergency Watch and Response Centre can be reached by calling +1 613-996-8885, by text message at +1 613-686-3658, via WhatsApp at +1 613-909-8881, via Signal at +1-613-909-8087 or by e-mail at sos@international.gc.ca
People tried to flee before landslide
Security footage captured on the Chinese side of the Nepal-Tibet border showed many people fleeing before a wall of rock, mud and water destroyed buildings and vehicles, with the people disappearing from view.
Sharma said 133 of the missing are from India and on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred site for Hindus.
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133 → know → Hindus
Also missing are 47 from the United States, 34 from Australia and 33 from Britain.
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47 → miss → Britain
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South Korean and Malaysian government officials said separately from Sharma that several of their citizens were unaccounted for.
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several → leave → citizens
At least 62 missing Nepali citizens were among hundreds of locals trekking near the Gosaikunda lake in Rasuwa, coinciding with the upcoming local festival of Janai Purnima, Sharma said.
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Sharma → miss → Purnima
Nepal police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle told The Associated Press that at least 28 police officials were missing.
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officials → tell → Press
Nepal's steep valleys are economic lifelines and travel corridors but precarious ones when disaster strikes.
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disaster → strike → ?
Images showed what appeared to be the second floors of buildings in the hard-hit Nuwakot district slathered in mud after the torrent rushed by.
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torrent → show → mud
Debris hung from tree branches and wires, vehicles were buried and stunned survivors were caked in mud.
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survivors → hang → mud
Initial reports from Nepali officials suggested an earthquake in the area could have caused the lower part of a glacier to collapse and trigger the floods.
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part → suggest → floods
The U.S. Geological Survey later said the tremor recorded at the time was caused by the glacial rock and ice collapsing to the valley floor.
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rock → say → floor
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.
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that → parallel → area
China, India prepared to help
United Nations teams and partners were mobilizing supplies and personnel in Nepal to support communities affected by the disaster, UN Secretary General António Guterres said.
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Guterres → prepare → disaster
Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered authorities to step up the efforts for people missing after the mudslide, state news agency Xinhua reported.
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Xinhua → order → mudslide
Chinese authorities were conducting large-scale search and rescue operations in the Tibetan border area of Gyirong, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
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authorities → conduct → CCTV
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah and offered help.
"India is prepared to provide Nepal with all possible types of humanitarian assistance.
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India → speak → assistance
Our teams are closely co-ordinating on rescue and relief efforts," Modi said in a social media post.
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Modi → co → post
Dozens of multi-storey buildings, trucks, and vans were buried under vast quantities of mud in the district of Nuwakot, one of the worst-affected areas.
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Dozens → bury → areas
Officials warned residents in several of Nepal's districts and asked them to stay away from the banks of the Bhotekoshi, Trishuli, and Narayani rivers.
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Officials → warn → rivers
The same regions affected by Wednesday's disaster saw flash floods similar to those in August last year, when a glacial lake in Tibet overflowed because of high temperatures in the mountain region.
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lake → affect → region
Nine people were killed, and critical infrastructure, including a bridge connecting Nepal and China, was damaged at the time.
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infrastructure → kill → time
Climate experts at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development say an avalanche from a glacier likely caused Wednesday's flash flood.
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avalanche → base → flood
The Lhende Khola River, a tributary of the Bhotekoshi River, witnessed maximum flooding Wednesday, they said.
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they → witness → flooding
"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.
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Sanyal → flood → group
"In a warming Himalaya, early warning is the first line of adaptation," he added.
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he → warm → adaptation
The Himalayan region, which crosses Nepal and several nearby countries, including India, is especially vulnerable to heavy rains, floods and landslides because the area is warming up faster than the rest of the world due to human-caused climate change.
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area → cross → change
Research has shown that extreme weather events, including heat waves, heavy rains and melting glaciers, have become more frequent in the region.
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events → show → region
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