China is reportedly deleting videos documenting the scale of destruction caused by catastrophic flash floods and mudslides in Tibet, following a glacial collapse on 26 August, according to a report by The Times of Israel. The disaster triggered a massive surge of mud, rock, and water through the Lhende Khola into the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river systems, causing extensive devastation along the Nepal-Tibet frontier.

Scale of the Disaster

By 28 August, Nepal had reported 579 deaths with nearly 1,924 people still missing. On the Chinese side, officials reported five deaths and 558 missing in Tibet's Gyirong County, including 260 foreign nationals. Ten bodies were also recovered from rivers in northern India.

By Sunday, the joint death toll across Nepal and Tibet had climbed to 750, with over 3,000 people reported missing. Nepal alone accounts for 734 deaths and 2,498 missing, making it one of the deadliest flood events in the region in recent memory.

Alleged Removal of Footage on Chinese Platforms

According to the report, videos of the disaster began circulating on Chinese social media platforms within hours of the floods. Security footage reportedly showed a massive wall of mud and debris crashing over buildings at Gyirong Port as residents fled. The location and footage were subsequently verified by international media organisations.

A Bhutanese journalist cited in the report highlighted the removal of flood footage from Chinese platforms, stressing that the material was disaster documentation rather than political protest or anti-government content. Citizen videos filmed on the Chinese side were being deleted, while footage originating from Nepal remained widely available online.

What remained on Chinese platforms was largely the official narrative — rescue operation updates, government statements, and President Xi Jinping's instructions — with limited detail on the extent of destruction, the report noted.

Access Restrictions and Information Gap

The report contrasted China's information environment with Nepal's, where journalists were able to travel to affected areas, speak to survivors, and publish photographs and videos. Restricted foreign access in Tibet — particularly around sensitive border areas — meant the destruction on the Nepali side was far more visible to the outside world than what occurred across the border.

'Yet the very conditions needed to answer them are missing. Access to the Tibetan side is restricted, foreign journalists face serious limitations and citizen footage is being removed from Chinese platforms. That is precisely how an information vacuum is created,' the report said.

The report argued that 'controlling the historical record' of a disaster whose impact has extended across three countries — China, Nepal, and India — is the deeper concern, rather than individual video removals from platforms such as Weibo or Douyin.

Questions Over the Cause

Early reports suggested an earthquake may have triggered the glacial collapse. However, the US Geological Survey (USGS) initially recorded a magnitude-4.4 seismic event before determining that the signal was generated by the landslide itself rather than a preceding earthquake.

'Satellite imagery showed a huge collapse of glacier and bedrock, followed by an ice-and-rock avalanche that temporarily blocked the river before the natural dam gave way. That still leaves plenty to investigate,' the report said.

Separately, questions have been raised in Nepal over explosive devices reportedly washed downstream from the Tibetan side, and whether blasting linked to construction or tunnelling could have played a role in destabilising the terrain. The report described these as 'not unreasonable questions', while noting that restricted access makes independent verification impossible.

Downstream Impact and What Comes Next

The disaster's reach extends well beyond the Nepal-Tibet border. The Lhende Khola feeds the Bhote Koshi, which flows into Nepal's Trishuli river and eventually becomes the Gandak in India — meaning the hydrological consequences of the collapse are transboundary in nature.

The report called for journalists, scientists, and independent experts to be granted access to the terrain, with the ability to compare satellite imagery, eyewitness accounts, and official statements. It argued that a government dealing with a natural disaster 'should not fear citizen-recorded footage but should preserve it.'