Hundreds missing after flood hits Nepal-Tibet border, 157 bodies recovered

TRISHULI, Nepal/BEIJING, Aug 26 (Reuters) - A huge wall of mud and rock collapsed into a river on the Himalayan border of Nepal and China's Tibet on Wednesday, triggering catastrophic flooding on the Nepali side that killed scores of people and left hundreds of tourists missing.

In a still-unfolding disaster, verified videos showed dozens of people swept away at the border, with authorities on both sides fearing far higher casualties and massive destruction.

Houses, roads and power projects were washed away in Nepal, while officials in Tibet said they feared "major casualties" after a mudslide hit a border land crossing in the county of Gyirong.

"It was a huge gush of mud coming straight towards us. As it got closer, it kept rising higher and higher. When I saw it enter our home, I tried to grab my wife's hand and take her to the terrace. But she was swept away by the mud," said Keshav Prasad Baral, a 68-year-old survivor, who was being treated at a small hospital.

"Four or five hours later, a helicopter came to rescue me. My wife is still somewhere beneath the mud. She's gone."

Another survivor described being saved by clinging to a mango tree as he watched the house where he had been working disappear.

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. The USGS later saidthe tremor recorded at the time was caused by the glacial rock and ice collapsing to the valley floor.

As darkness fell, authorities continued the grim task of recovering and trying to identify bodies.

Some 157 bodies had been recovered so far, Nepal police said late on Wednesday.

Officials at Nepal's tourism ministry told media outlets that over 400 tourists are missing, of whom around 340 are foreigners.

Sunil Sharma, a Nepal tourism board spokesperson, told the Associated Press that 133 of the tourists were from India on a pilgrimage.

He said 47 of the missing tourists were from the United States, 34 from Australia, 33 from Britain and 24 from Canada.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said U.N. teams and partners were mobilising supplies and personnel in Nepal to support communities affected by the disaster.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson said: "The State Department is aware of Americans impacted by the floods in Nepal and is closely tracking the situation."