At Least Nine Dead, Hundreds Missing as Mudslide Buries Crossing on Nepal-China Border

Dramatic security camera footage has emerged showing the moment a powerful mudslide tore through a border crossing between Nepal and China, giving travellers only seconds to escape before the wall of debris swallowed the area.

The video, recorded by CCTV cameras positioned near the frontier point, captures people running for their lives moments before the torrent of mud, rock and water crashes into view. Within seconds, the slide engulfs the entire crossing, obliterating roads, buildings and vehicles caught in its path.

Authorities say at least nine people have been killed in the disaster. Hundreds more are reported missing, raising fears that the death toll could climb significantly as search operations continue in the affected area.

The mudslide was triggered by torrential flooding that has battered the region, according to officials. Extreme rainfall sent floodwaters surging through the mountainous terrain near the border, unleashing the deadly cascade that swept away everything standing in its way.

The destroyed crossing served as a key passage point along the frontier between the two countries. Footage of the disaster shows the sheer force of the surge, which reduced infrastructure to rubble and left vehicles tossed aside like toys as people scattered in panic just ahead of the advancing wall of mud.

Rescue teams are now working to locate the hundreds of people unaccounted for since the slide struck. The remote and rugged nature of the border region poses significant challenges for emergency crews attempting to reach the site and assess the full scale of the destruction.

The incident comes amid a series of deadly flash floods sweeping through northern Nepal, where heavy monsoon conditions have wreaked havoc on communities across the country's mountainous north. The floods have proven lethal, compounding an already dire situation for residents of the region.

Landslides and flash floods are recurring dangers in Nepal during the annual monsoon season, when intense rainfall saturates steep slopes and destabilises the fragile terrain of the Himalayan region. The country's mountain valleys and river corridors are particularly vulnerable to sudden, fast-moving deluges that offer residents little or no warning.

For those working or travelling near the Nepal-China crossing, the new CCTV footage illustrates how quickly such disasters unfold. The individuals seen fleeing in the recording escaped with their lives only because they spotted the danger in time; others in the vicinity were not so fortunate.

Emergency response efforts remain ongoing, with officials bracing for the possibility that the number of confirmed fatalities will rise as rescue teams gain access to areas buried under mud and debris. Hundreds of families are still awaiting news of missing relatives, more than a day after torrents of water and mud reshaped the landscape along one of the country's most important border passages.