Veteran Kerry explorer and mountaineer Pat Falvey says the violent floods that tore through communities along the Nepal-Tibet border were nothing short of “apocalyptic”.
Mr Falvey, who has travelled to Nepal more than 70 times and calls it his “spiritual home”, said the disaster struck a “very populated” area that lacks the warning systems found in other parts of Nepal.
In an interview on RTÉ’s News At One, he described the event as a catastrophe and warned that the confirmed death toll is likely to climb sharply.
Almost 1,400 people, including around 800 foreigners, are missing across Nepal and Tibet, authorities said, after a wall of mud and rock collapsed into a Himalayan river, sending catastrophic flash floods through towns and valleys.
Nepali police have said at least 359 people are dead.
Mr Falvey, who leads expeditions to Nepal, said he “really got a fright” when the first footage began circulating, adding that he initially thought the videos were generated by “AI”.
While he said he was stunned by the scale of the destruction, he added that he was not surprised, arguing that “global warming is changing the make-up of the glaciers”.
“On this occasion from information from Nepal and our staff out there, what has happened is there has been a big glacier fall, it actually blocked up a river, then a lake and burst its banks flooding downstream”.
`Early speculation suggested a glacial lake outburst flood
He said getting reliable updates has been difficult, describing communications in the region as extremely poor.
“Over the next week we will find out how bad it is from the tourism point of view and the local point of view”.
The affected area is threaded with well-known trekking corridors and includes one of three approaches to Mount Kailash, the revered peak that draws pilgrims from around the world.
“It’s in the section where a lot of the main treks, like the Langtang area, which is a very popular trekking route,” Mr Falvey said.
“And then it is one of three routes into what is world-renowned Mount Kailash. It’s actually one of the holy mountains of the Hindus and the Buddhists.
“And at this time of the year, people were making their way towards the Langtang because there was a holy festival coming up on Friday.”
He said many Indians, especially Hindus, had been travelling toward Mount Kailash via the Tibetan border when the flooding hit.
“And I believe on the day from information coming in, there was over 366 people waiting to get their permits to get through that border where we’ve seen this apocalyptic flood coming in from behind that massive building,” he said.
Watch: Drone footage captures devastation as floods wreak havoc in Nepal
Homes ‘wiped out’
A Nepalese chef living and working in Ireland has said a school friend of his is missing and a number of his relatives have had their homes “wiped out”.
Bal Krishna Shrestha, speaking to RTÉ News, said the Nepalese community in Ireland is eager to support people “back home” in any way possible. Mr Shrestha is also the General Secretary of the Nepal Ireland Society.
There are around 5,000 Nepalese people living in Ireland.
Mr Shrestha, who is from Kathmandu, said a friend from his childhood is unaccounted for, along with seven others who were touring the region when the disaster unfolded.
“No news, no contact, maybe they’ve all lost their life”.
He said members of his extended family have seen their childhood homes destroyed.
“Their houses are all totally gone, fortunately their lives are ok as they escaped from the house.”
Read more
How a glacier collapse may have caused Nepal-Tibet floods
Two Irish people among hundreds missing as floods in Nepal leave 157 dead
