the news now
This is a new development in a story we have covered before · earlier coverage

Death Toll Reaches 750 Following Devastating Glacial Flood on Nepal China Border

morning · · thread: Extreme Rainfall and Flooding Cause Widespread Devastation Across Asia

30 sources across 20 countries · 1 of them is linked to a state

Who reported this

  • Scroll.in India · Left · Scroll Media Inc, reader-funded
  • The Hindu India · Centre-left · Kasturi & Sons (family-owned)
  • The Indian Express India · Centre · Indian Express Group (Goenka family)
  • Hindustan Times India · Centre-right · HT Media (KK Birla group)
  • G1 Brazil · Centre-left · Grupo Globo (Marinho family)
  • UOL Brazil · Centre-left · Grupo Folha
  • CNN Brasil Brazil · Centre · Rubens Menin (MRV)
  • Le Monde France · Centre-left · Fonds pour l'independance de la presse
  • France 24 France · Centre · Public · France Medias Monde (French state holding)
  • Der Spiegel Germany · Centre-left · ~50% staff-owned
  • Frankfurter Allgemeine Germany · Centre-right · FAZIT-Stiftung (foundation)
  • ANSA Italy · Centre · Publisher cooperative
  • Corriere della Sera Italy · Centre-right · RCS MediaGroup (Cairo Communication)
  • Asahi Shimbun Japan · Centre-left · Asahi Shimbun Company (family and employee held)
  • The Japan Times Japan · Centre · News2u Holdings
  • BBC News United Kingdom · Centre · Public · Licence fee, royal charter
  • Reuters United Kingdom · Centre · Thomson Reuters Corporation
  • Infobae Argentina · Centre-right · Daniel Hadad
  • The Daily Star Bangladesh · Centre · Mediaworld Ltd
  • La Tercera Chile · Centre-right · Copesa (Saieh family)
  • South China Morning Post Hong Kong · Centre-right · Alibaba Group
  • Tempo English Indonesia · Centre-left · PT Tempo Inti Media
  • The Jerusalem Post Israel · Centre-right · Mirkaei Tikshoret (Eli Azur)
  • Aftenposten Norway · Centre-right · Schibsted, Tinius Trust foundation
  • Philippine Daily Inquirer Philippines · Centre · Prieto family
  • Al Jazeera Qatar · Centre-left · State-affiliated · Qatari government funded
  • The Korea Herald South Korea · Centre-right · Herald Corporation (Yeongpoong Group)
  • Taipei Times Taiwan · Centre-left · Liberty Times Group
  • Bangkok Post Thailand · Centre · Post Publishing PCL
  • CNN United States · Centre-left · Warner Bros. Discovery

What the colours mean

  • Left
  • Centre-left
  • Centre
  • Centre-right
  • Right
  • A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.

Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.

Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.

The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.

A massive glacial collapse on the border between Nepal and China has left at least 750 people dead and nearly 3,000 missing. Official tolls indicate 734 deaths on the Nepal side and 16 in the Tibet region of China. The disaster occurred on Wednesday morning when a torrent of ice, rock, and mud swept through the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river systems, destroying villages, bridges, and hydropower infrastructure. Authorities report that 546 people are missing in Tibet and approximately 2,498 are missing in Nepal. Among the missing are 261 foreign nationals, including citizens from Nepal, India, Latvia, the United States, and Great Britain.

Rescue operations are ongoing but face significant challenges due to heavy rain, fog, and destroyed communications. In a significant breakthrough on Saturday, the Nepali army inserted an air pipe into a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower site. Government officials believe over 100 workers may still be trapped in tunnels at the Trishuli 3A and 3B sites. While most rescue efforts focus on recovery, one six year old girl was rescued alive after spending nearly 60 hours under rubble in Timure.

Experts and government officials from both nations attribute the event to a glacial collapse. Chinese authorities stated the disaster was caused by long term global warming. Some scientists describe the event as a sturzstrom, which is a high speed rock ice avalanche. While the collapse originated near the border, reports vary on the exact starting point. Some sources state the collapse occurred on the Nepalese side, while others suggest the rockslide began on the Chinese side. Nepal's Finance Minister estimated that rebuilding costs could range between 4 billion and 5 billion dollars.

Framing of the disaster varies by political lean. Center left outlets emphasize the role of global warming and suggest that manmade infrastructure, such as hydropower dams, exacerbated the downstream damage. Center right outlets focus on the logistical details of the rescue operations and the specific numbers of missing foreign nationals. Center outlets provide a general overview of the casualties and the diplomatic coordination between China and Nepal.

How each side framed it

Left
Emphasized that while warming induced the flood, the resulting damage was compounded by human construction and poor land use.
Centre-left
Highlighted the impact of climate change and criticized manmade infrastructure for worsening the disaster.
Centre
Provided a neutral overview of casualties, rescue efforts, and diplomatic responses.
Centre-right
Focused on the specific breakdown of missing foreigners and the technical details of the rescue operations.

Sources

93% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.