The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that no Sri Lankan citizens have been affected by the sudden and severe flash floods that struck the Rasuwa region near Nepal’s border with China and Tibet.
In an official statement, Ministry Media Spokesperson Thushara Rodrigo announced that no information regarding any injured or affected Sri Lankans has been reported thus far. Authorities estimate that there are currently between 85 and 100 Sri Lankan nationals staying in the capital city of Kathmandu.
The flash flood was triggered when a massive volume of water, caused by rapidly melting snow and ice along the border, rushed down simultaneously through the Bhote Koshi River. Officials and experts believe that a localized earthquake or glacier collapse upstream may have caused the sudden ice-melt and subsequent overflow.
The disaster completely submerged major roadways near the Bhote Koshi River and heavily damaged government infrastructure on the Chinese side of the border. An ice and rock-debris landslide near the Nepali frontier blocked the Lende Kola—a tributary of the Bhote Koshi—creating an artificial dam that eventually burst and unleashed a destructive wall of water onto downstream areas.
Mountainous communities across the Rasuwa district bore the brunt of the disaster, suffering extensive damage to critical infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and hydropower generation projects. Severe mudslides and structural destruction were similarly reported in the neighboring Gyirong county in Tibet. International media agencies report that the disaster has left multiple people dead, with hundreds more—including foreign tourists—currently accounted for as missing while search and rescue operations continue.
