New Zealand’s Tibetan community said it was shocked to see the devastation caused by last week’s catastrophic flash flood near the Nepal-China border.

The community said the disaster had also highlighted ongoing concerns about the impact of increasing infrastructure construction and deforestation on the Tibetan Plateau.

“It’s absolutely shocking and very sad but it also reminds us how fragile our environment is, especially in Tibet,” said Gadhen Paljor, president of the Auckland Tibetan Association.

Paljor was born in the Himalayan mountains while his parents were fleeing Tibet.

He has been living in New Zealand for the past 25 years.

Paljor said Auckland’s Tibetan community held special prayers for the victims of the flash flood.

He said a Tibetan refugee settlement in Nepal had been washed away in the floodwaters.

“One of the settlements had about 11 households, and it has all been swept away sadly,” he said.

Construction impact
Paljor was worried about the impact of increased construction and deforestation in the Tibetan region.

In late 2025, China approved construction of what is set to become the world’s largest hydropower dam on the Tibetan Plateau.

The South China Morning Post said the dam would be situated in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo, where the river drops 2000 metres over a 50 km stretch, creating immense hydropower potential.

Paljor said he had not heard much news from Tibet since the flash flood because information was reportedly being tightly controlled.

Concerns about access to information had also emerged before the floods.

Nepali and Chinese officials met in Kathmandu three months ago to discuss the risks posed by floods, glaciers and weather hazards.

The May 27 meeting called for stronger cooperation, including joint monitoring, glacial lake inventories and hazard mapping.

Limited risk data
But two Nepali officials told Reuters they received less information than they wanted from China about glacier risks and water levels, raising concerns that limited data sharing could hamper disaster preparedness.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Nepal rejected the allegation, saying China had been providing Nepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology with key data daily.

“China has always upheld the spirit of humanitarianism, fully supported Nepal’s disaster response decision-making, and taken concrete actions to safeguard the lives and property of our two countries,” the spokesperson said.

“China will continue to help Nepal to overcome the difficulties and rebuild our homes.”

State news agency Xinhua said on Thursday that 21 deaths in China had been reported in the disaster, with another 541 missing.

Meanwhile, rescue teams in Nepal have recovered more than 1250 bodies, and more than 5000 are missing, according to media reports.

Five missing from NZ
Five New Zealanders remain among the missing in the disaster: Dejan Kuzmic, Shweta Mhatre, Mihir Patel, Kinnari Patel and Suhasini Reddy.

However, more than half a dozen New Zealanders narrowly escaped the deadly flash floods after their Auckland-based tour operator decided to cross the Nepal-China border a day earlier than first planned.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said on Friday there had been no change to the status of the five missing New Zealanders.

“Challenges on the ground mean that new, verified information is going to take time to emerge,” the spokesperson said, describing the situation on the ground as being “very bleak”.

On Thursday, a spokesperson from the ministry said New Zealand had extended an offer of technical expertise to aid Nepal’s response effort, in addition to humanitarian assistance worth $2 million announced on August 28.