Search operations are underway in Nepal and Tibet for more than 1,300 people who are missing after powerful landslides and floods, reportedly triggered by a glacier collapse. AFP reported this on Thursday, August 27. According to the agency, entire settlements have been destroyed. A total of 165 bodies have been recovered, while hundreds of foreign tourists are among those missing.

Initially, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.4, and later described it as a “seismic event” with a magnitude of 5.2. Further analysis indicated that the incident was likely a glacier collapse followed by an avalanche of ice and rock, resulting in catastrophic consequences. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), based in Kathmandu, also believes that the collapse of large masses of ice and rock triggered the flooding.

According to ICIMOD expert Saswata Sanyal, the avalanche also blocked the Lhende Khola River. CCTV footage shows a wave sweeping over multi-story buildings, vehicles and people.

According to police, 162 bodies have been recovered in Nepal. Three deaths have been reported in China. The Nepal Disaster Management Authority said that 823 people are missing. China’s Xinhua news agency reported 558 people missing in Tibet.

The flooding affected, among other places, the Nepalese settlement of Shabru Besi, which serves as a starting point for popular trekking routes. According to the Nepal Disaster Management Authority, at least 579 tourists from Nepal and abroad are among those missing.

According to Nepal’s national tourism organization, Nepal Tourism, as cited by dpa, rescuers are searching for visitors from Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and other countries. Most of the tourists missing in the floods are Indian nationals.