Ex-Nepal Minister Claims China Didn't Warn Them Before Deadly Flash Floods
A former Nepali minister has accused China of failing to provide timely warnings regarding the glacial collapse that triggered devastating flash floods. The disaster has resulted in over 600 deaths, with thousands still missing, highlighting a critical gap in cross-border disaster communication.
Why it matters
The incident underscores the geopolitical and humanitarian risks associated with inadequate data sharing between neighboring countries regarding climate-related disaster risks.
Nepal's former Forest and Environment Minister Madhav Prasad Chaulagain has claimed that China didn't warn them before the devastating floods tore through the country, leaving hundreds dead and thousands missing.In an interview with NDTV, he said that Nepal did not receive any timely warning from the Chinese side before a wall of ice, rock and mud tore through the Nepal-Tibet border at around 8:40 am on Wednesday.Chaulagain said the human cost was worsened by a failure of information-sharing between the two neighbours.A smaller glacier incident in 2025 had already produced an agreed protocol, but that mechanism was not used. "We missed that opportunity," he said.Excavators and loaders in action as rescue workers repair a road leading to Gyirong Port after a mudslide in Gyirong in TibetPhoto Credit: REUTERSHe also rejected Beijing's assertion that the collapse began on Nepali territory.
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