Nepali authorities and Chinese state media respectively have said that at least 647 people are missing and 160 have died after a surge of floodwater, mud and debris swept through Himalayan valleys in Nepal and Tibet.

The disaster has triggered a large-scale search and rescue operation as authorities race to locate hundreds of people, including foreign tourists, pilgrims, border officials, security personnel and residents caught in the flooding.

Report says that Schools, hydropower installations and other infrastructure were also damaged as floodwaters tore through riverside settlements.

Nepal’s Foreign Minister, Shisir Khanal, said the government had received preliminary information that a flood had occurred in the affected region.

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