Nepal Flood Horror: What Melted the Mountains at Midnight?

July 8, 2025: A devastating flood along the Nepal–China border has claimed at least seven lives, with 18 people still missing, following a midnight deluge in Nepal’s Rasuwa district on Tuesday. Among the missing are three Nepal Police officers, six Chinese nationals, and nine civilians, according to a statement by Nepal Police on X. While 55 individuals have been rescued so far, authorities have not disclosed the identities or exact locations of the recovered bodies.

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Preliminary investigations by Nepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology — supported by satellite data and local officials — have traced the cause of the flood to a permafrost collapse high in Tibet’s upper Lhende River catchment. The permafrost, a frozen mix of rock, soil, and snow, gave way due to warming temperatures and increased rainfall — a phenomenon increasingly observed due to climate change.

The Lhende River, which feeds into the Trishuli at Rasuwagadhi (now washed away), is connected to several glacial tributaries originating in Tibet and glacial zones between Langtang Lirung and Sangbu Ri ridge in Nepal. These glacial systems, including at least seven glacial lakes in Tibet and one near Nepal’s Dudhkunda, are considered increasingly unstable.

The flood affected key rural areas such as Gosaikunda, Aamachhodingmo, Uttargaya, and Kalika, and also caused significant infrastructure damage. A stretch of the Pasang Lhamu Highway — Nepal’s strategic trade route with China — has become impassable, particularly near Gosaikunda-5, where the road cracked and collapsed.

Ongoing rescue and relief operations face delays due to washed-out roads and rising water levels. More updates on casualties and damage are awaited as authorities struggle to access the worst-hit zones.