At least 31 people have been killed and hundreds of tourists are missing after a massive flash flood and mudslide struck the border region between Nepal and Tibet.

The emergency unfolded when a sudden torrent of water and mud swept across the border territory, directly impacting vital cross-border travel routes and international visitors in the area.

Video footage released from the scene documents the sheer scale of the destruction at the moment the surge tore through the border zone.

Due to the distressing nature of the visual material recorded on the ground, broadcasters including the BBC have edited the circulating video footage with white flashes.

The disaster has triggered serious concern across the region, particularly with hundreds of visiting tourists unaccounted for in the wake of the torrent.

Families across the world are now waiting anxiously for any confirmed information regarding the hundreds of missing international travellers.

Emergency rescue operations are currently under way across the Nepal-Tibet border, with personnel carrying out their work in difficult conditions.

With at least 31 fatalities confirmed so far, the immediate priority for teams on the ground remains locating and reaching those who are still missing.

I will continue to monitor reports from the border as search operations proceed. I'll be following this one.