Our correspondent Anupreeta Das witnessed the rescue operation following the catastrophic flooding in Nepal and Tibet, in which a torrent of debris and water carried away entire villages in just minutes.

Racing against the darkness, rescuers in California on Saturday saved a man who had become stranded on a ledge perched atop a soaring peak on the Sierra Nevada.

A visit near the border with Tibet laid bare the effects of a swollen river’s furious speed. Miles of devastation were left behind in a flash flood that killed more than 300.

Survivors described the terrifying speed and power of the “boulders, sand and thick sludge” that killed hundreds and wiped out villages on the border between Nepal and Tibet.

The deadly Himalayan torrent damaged roads and dozens of bridges. The devastation was impeding the search for survivors and relief deliveries, aid groups said.

Videos of the disaster, which tore through the border area between Tibet and Nepal, have been removed from social media by China’s censors.