Glacial-lake burst floods Nepal, erasing Betrawati and leaving thousands missing

A glacial-lake burst along the Nepal-China border unleashed a massive flow of mud, rock and water that swept through the Trishuli River basin, completely destroying the riverside community of Betrawati. Returning locals, including 23-year-old Anusa Thapa Magar, found only hardened grey silt where their two-storey house once stood, and her grandmother remains missing. Authorities confirm at least 1,386 fatalities on the Nepal side and 5,130 people still missing, with no survivors found in recent days.

Survivors now must climb steep hills and cross narrow ridges to reach the ruined settlement, encountering scattered shoes, school ties and backpacks as stark evidence of the panic. Nearby Devighat shows shattered house shells, yet many see no reason to return as the land itself has vanished beneath debris. The catastrophe reopens wounds from the 2015 earthquake that killed nearly 9,000, with families like the Thapa Magar siblings lamenting the loss of homes, land and future prospects.