Hundreds missing: More than 1,300 people are missing including at least 700 foreigners after catastrophic flash flooding hit China and Nepal on Wednesday. More than 177 people are confirmed dead, with search and rescue operations ongoing.

 Dramatic footage shows a torrent of water hitting the mountainous region, submerging villages and wiping out bridges. The US Geological Survey said a glacial collapse when a large section of ice breaks off a glacier and falls down a slope was behind the disaster. CNN reported.

 About 22 hours after the initial disaster, Chinese emergency responders have reached Gyirong Port, the hard-hit facility which handles nearly a third of China-Nepal trade. The first batch of 141 rescuers arrived along with a high-altitude Mi-171 helicopter.

The area still faces the risk of landslides, mudslides and flash floods, with three days of rain ahead and collapsed earth forming unstable dams, state media said.

Rescue efforts are intensifying in Nepal and China, where devastating flash flooding has killed at least 177 people and left more than 1,300 missing—including more than 700 foreign nationals who were visiting the mountainous region, authorities said.

A catastrophic wall of water crashed through a valley, sweeping aside critical infrastructure and making it difficult to access the area, rescue victims and assess the scale of the disaster.

Heart wrenching appeals are pouring in as families desperately await news of loved ones who have been unreachable for more than 24 hours.

plans to send humanitarian aid.

A glacial collapse was behind the flash flooding in Nepal’s Rasuwa district, according to the US Geological Survey. Scientists said a huge chunk of ice plunged into the valley below, picking up sediment that was already waterlogged during the ongoing monsoon season. “No earthquake had occurred,” the USGS confirmed.

China has warned of a potential secondary disaster, with more rain forecast for Gyirong County this week. The region is already prone to landslides, mudslides and flash floods, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

The Dalai Lama offered his prayers on Thursday to those killed in the disaster and pointed to climate change as a possible underlying cause.