Police say more than 150 bodies recovered after flash flood on Nepal-Tibet border with hundreds still missing – latest

We're closing this page now and continuing our live coverage of the deadly Nepal flash flood in a new blog here, including a summary of the latest developments.

Continuing from the last post: a hydrologist said one thing that struck him was the lack of rainfall before the disaster.

“That defeats essentially every operational flood warning system in the world,†Hatim Sharif at the University of Texas San Antonio told AFP. By the time you saw the mud flow coming, it was too late, he said.

“Running will not help,†nor will trying to flee by vehicle, Sharif added, because the mud and water moving at high speed form a lethal combination “like liquid concreteâ€.

The only solution was to climb at least six metres (20 feet) up a hill, he estimated.

A researcher at the UK's University of Reading, Dorothy Heinrich, said: “In these mountain environments, the rivers can be quite narrow in areas.†Anything that blocked them – be it an avalanche or landslide – would lead to a “big accumulation of water, then it creates these incredibly fast floodsâ€.

Lethal surges of mud and water that hit “like liquid concrete†are nearly impossible to predict and cannot be outrun.

The cause of the landslide and flood along the Nepal-Tibet border isn't yet certain but experts say the risk of such events is compounded by the extreme topography of the Himalayas.

It is too soon to draw any firm links to climate change, but there are well-documented trends in the “roof of the world†that have increased the likelihood of such hazards, Agence France-Presse is reporting.

Nepal's foreign minister said an earthquake likely triggered a landslide that in turn blocked a river, sending water gushing downstream after it eventually breached the obstruction.

But the US Geological Survey said that while the event was initially reported as a magnitude 4.4 earthquake, “additional analysis of long period seismic waves indicate that the seismic energy was instead generated by a landslideâ€.

A preliminary assessment by the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development found “no anomalies†from the Chinese side of the border.

“We believe a rock-ice avalanche occurred in Nepal, blocking the Lhende river and causing the cascading flood event,†said Sarthak Shrestha, a remote sensing and geo information analyst with the intergovernmental institute.

Australia's prime minister has said 34 Australians are missing after the deadly flood.

Confirming a toll reported earlier, Anthony Albanese also said getting information from Nepal was “difficultâ€.

He said the government was liaising with local authorities and tour operators to confirm the welfare of Australians in Nepal.

Our thoughts are with all those who will be concerned about their loved ones today.

Verified videos of the disaster showed dozens of people swept away at the Nepal-Tibet border, with authorities on both sides â fearing far higher casualties and huge destruction.

Houses, â roads and power projects were washed away in ​Nepal, while officials in Tibet said they feared “major casualties†after a mudslide hit a border land crossing in the county of Gyirong.

“It was a huge gush of mud coming straight towards us,†said Keshav Prasad Baral, a 68-year-old survivor, who was being treated at a small hospital. “As it got closer, it kept rising higher and higher.

When I saw it enter our home, I tried to grab my â wife's hand and take her to the terrace. But she was swept away by the mud.

Four or five hours later, a helicopter came to rescue me. My wife is still somewhere beneath the mud. She's gone

Another survivor, also quoted by Reuters, described being saved by clinging to a mango tree as he â watched the house where he had been working disappear.

Nine â South Koreans â working ​on a hydropower plant are missing and 10 others stranded â after the deadly flash flood, South Korea's foreign â ministry is saying.

The workers ​were employed ‌by Korea ‌Energy and Doosan Enerbility Co, the ministry ‌said, adding that Nepal had deployed a rescue team to search the affected area.

South Korean foreign minister Cho Hyun held an emergency meeting with ‌government officials and said a team of police, emergency services and ​foreign ministry officials would fly to Kathmandu on Thursday, the ministry said late on Wednesday.

Cho planned to hold a phone call â with his Nepalese counterpart on Thursday, it ​said, cited by Reuters.

Another ​10 South Korean ​workers affiliated with Doosan Enerbility were ​stranded in ‌the area ​and ​awaiting a helicopter sent by Nepalese authorities to evacuate them.

United Nations chief António Guterres has said UN â teams ​and ‌partners ‌are ‌mobilising supplies and personnel in Nepal ‌to support ​communities affected by â the deadly flood.

“My solidarity is with all those affected, he said on X.

Among those missing are 34 Australians, Reuters reports.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson told AAP they were liaising with local authorities as well as tour operators and stood ready to provide consular assistance.

“We extend our deepest sympathies to those affected by the significant flooding in Nepal and Tibet, China,†the spokesperson said.

“We are aware of a number of Australians in the area and Australian officials are urgently working to confirm their welfare.â€

Dozens of Australian tourists are reportedly missing in the deadly flash floods that swept through the Nepal-Tibet border, as the Australian government says it is urgently working to confirm their welfare.

According to the Nepal Tourist Board, as reported by Press Association, at least 403 people have been reported missing, with 341 foreign nationals unaccounted for.

According to the tourist board, 203 of the missing are male and 200 female.

Australia's foreign minister, Penny Wong, said: “The loss of life and destruction caused by flash flooding in Nepal and China is devastating. Our thoughts are with the loved ones of those killed or missing and all affected by this disaster.

“Dfat officials are urgently working to confirm the welfare of Australians in the area.â€