At least 17 people have been killed after a flash flood and mudslide swept through the Nepal-Tibet border region, destroying villages and damaging roads and infrastructure. The disaster struck early on Wednesday in Rasuwa district, north of Kathmandu, reportedly triggered by excessive snowmelt flowing into the Bhote Koshi river, with both Nepalese and Chinese officials warning of severe casualties and a "huge scale loss".

Search and rescue operations are under way on both sides of the border, with 12 people rescued so far, though 13 armed police officers remain missing from two posts and contact has been lost with dozens more. The main road to Kathmandu has been closed, and power and communications in the area are disrupted, hampering rescue efforts including a helicopter mission grounded by strong winds. Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah has convened an emergency meeting and mobilised medical teams, scouts and the Red Cross, while officials believe this disaster exceeds last year's floods in Rasuwa, which killed 18 people after a glacier burst.