In Nepal and Tibet, the death toll and number of people missing are rising following the floods. “Two Italians are among those affected,” say the Nepalese authorities

Two Italian nationals are also reported to be missing following yesterday’s devastating floods in Nepal, according to the country’s National Tourism Board. Yesterday, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had stated that the disaster had affected two Italians, who were in good condition. Sources at the Foreign Ministry now report that checks are underway: its Crisis Unit is liaising with local authorities, via the Italian Consulate-General in Kolkata and the Honorary Consulate in Kathmandu, as well as with tour operators, to seek confirmation. So far, around 130 Italian nationals reported to be in the area have been contacted. For this reason, the Ministry adds: “On the instructions of the Foreign Minister, staff have been dispatched to Kathmandu from the Embassy in New Delhi to strengthen the presence on the ground and provide assistance to Italian nationals.”

Meanwhile, the death toll from the environmental disaster has risen to 292. These figures come from the police, combined with those from Beijing: 289 deaths in Nepal, three in Tibet. However, the number is set to rise; it is not yet confirmed and the figures are currently unclear.

Rescue operations are still under way in the area, hampered by the weather conditions: the authorities are recovering bodies, including those of children, from beneath the mud and rubble. It was the collapse of a glacier that caused the devastating flood which struck the area between Tibet and Nepal yesterday. This has been confirmed by the USGS, the United States Geological Survey, which states that the 5.2-magnitude earthquake “was caused by a glacier collapse and a debris flow that had catastrophic consequences downstream”.

There is also confusion regarding the number of people unaccounted for. At present, there are around 1,300 people unaccounted for in Nepal, 517 of whom are foreign tourists. Meanwhile, the number of people missing in Gyirong County, Tibet, has risen to 558, including 260 foreign nationals. The figures are reported separately and cannot be added together. There are currently 108 European citizens among those affected and unaccounted for.

According to the information gathered so far, and in line with the views of various experts, including the aforementioned USGS, the flood is thought to have been caused by the collapse of a large section of a glacier in the upper Himalayan valley on the border with Tibet. The area most severely affected is the Nepalese district of Rasuwa, in Bagmati province, where the debris that fell into the upper valley of the Lhende Khola river – a tributary of the Bhote Koshi – is thought to have temporarily dammed the watercourse. The subsequent collapse of the barrier released a mass of water, mud, debris and ice which surged downstream, reaching the Bhote Koshi and the Trishuli and devastating villages and infrastructure. The level of the Trishuli rose by nine metres in about half an hour. Satellite images analysed by experts place the collapse at around 5,200 metres, with a descent of approximately 1,200 metres in a very short space of time.