Footage filmed by locals captures the terrifying moment a massive flash flood tears through a village in Nepal, sending residents running for higher ground as torrents of mud and water sweep through the settlement.In one of the videos, people can be seen fleeing as floodwaters surge through the area, while others scramble towards higher ground to escape the rapidly rising water. Another video shows a bridge collapsing under the force of the torrent as people watch from nearby.The flood swept away homes, vehicles and other infrastructure within seconds, leaving large parts of the affected area covered in mud and debris. Buses and cars were seen being engulfed by the floodwaters as the torrent moved through the village.The footage comes as rescue teams search for hundreds of people still missing after a wall of mud and rock collapsed into a river along the Nepal-China border on Wednesday, triggering catastrophic flooding across Himalayan valleys.Nepal Police said 157 bodies had been recovered, while officials said more than 400 tourists were missing, including around 340 foreigners. Many of those missing were travelling through the region on pilgrimage or trekking trips.The US Geological Survey later said seismic activity recorded during the disaster was caused by glacial rock and ice collapsing and the subsequent movement of debris, rather than a separate earthquake.An initial study of satellite imagery indicated that an ice-and-rock landslide triggered a debris-laden flood in the Lhende River, about 20 kilometres northeast of the Rasuwagadhi border crossing.The disaster washed away houses, roads and power infrastructure, while a metal bridge was also seen being swept away by the floodwaters.“There is devastation everywhere we look,” Tula Bahadur BK, a health worker in Rasuwa, told Reuters. “The settlements next to the river have been completely swept away. Five of my own relatives are missing.”Rescue operations have been hampered by damaged roads, disrupted communications and difficult weather. Helicopters were unable to land in some of the worst-hit areas, including Syapru Besi and Timure in Rasuwa district.
