The number of people missing in Nepal and China has risen above 2,400 following catastrophic floods and landslides that have killed hundreds and left rescue teams battling mud, debris and the threat of further flooding.
Emergency teams have recovered 584 bodies so far, with some victims reportedly swept downstream into India.
Nepal’s disaster authority on Friday added 933 hydropower workers to its missing-persons list, alongside trekkers and pilgrims travelling to Tibet’s Mount Kailash.
The latest figures highlight the scale of the disaster, which began when a tsunami-like surge of water and debris swept through communities in Nepal and Tibet.
The United States Geological Survey said the disaster was triggered by a glacial collapse that produced a massive flow of ice and mud, making it Nepal’s deadliest disaster since the 2015 earthquake.
Rescuers Face New Flood Threat
Rescue operations have been complicated by the formation of huge lakes created by the debris.
Nepali police warned emergency workers to immediately move to safer locations after receiving information that another water dam had burst on the Tibetan side.
In Tibet, Chinese authorities temporarily suspended rescue operations in the worst-hit area of Gyirong on Friday over fears of renewed flooding.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that a lake formed by enormous piles of debris had begun overflowing towards areas where rescue teams were operating. The threat later eased as the water level dropped.
CCTV said rescue operations were subsequently “proceeding in an orderly manner”.
Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired a meeting on rescue efforts and offered China’s assistance to Nepal’s emergency response.
Workers Trapped in Hydropower Tunnel
Nepali military teams have been working to rescue more than 100 people trapped inside a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower project.
The military located the workers and residents trapped at the site, but reaching them has proved difficult.
“Two helicopters have been dispatched but it is challenging because it is tough to even locate the entry points of the tunnel,” army spokesman Raja Ram Basnet said.
About 350 workers and residents have already been rescued from the site, he said, while efforts continue to reach those still trapped.
Workers rescued from other hydropower projects along the Trishuli valley described how quickly the disaster unfolded.
Buddha Tamang said he survived because he was inside a tunnel when the flood struck the dam where he worked.
“I survived as I was in the tunnel,” Tamang said after being airlifted to safety on Thursday following more than 24 hours stranded at the site.
“The senior officers working on the other side, they were all swept away,” he said.
Families Search for Missing Relatives
Hospitals and rescue centres in Nepal have been crowded with relatives searching for missing family members.
Posters carrying photographs and names of missing people have been placed on hospital walls as families await news.
“Today is the third day and we don’t know anything. Hopefully he (my brother) is in a safe place,” 27-year-old Samjhana Thing said.
“We lost everything, he is our everything.”
Another survivor, Kula Priya, said her eldest son remained missing after the flood destroyed everything she had.
“I don’t care for wealth. I just want my son back. If any of you could rescue my son, please do it for me,” she said.
Nepal’s death toll stood at 579 on Friday.
Authorities said 1,924 people, including 517 foreigners, remained out of contact in Nepal, up from the previous figure of 977.
In neighbouring India, authorities recovered seven bodies from rivers flowing from Nepal. The victims are believed to have been swept away by the floods.
Hundreds Missing in Tibet
Across the border in Tibet, Chinese authorities said 558 people remained missing and five people had died.
Authorities also reported evacuating 555 stranded tourists and 499 Chinese residents from affected areas.
Foreign journalists have limited access to the region, leaving Chinese authorities as the primary source of information about the situation there.
Pilgrims Among the Missing
The disaster has also affected Hindu pilgrims travelling towards Mount Kailash, a major pilgrimage destination in Tibet.
Sivaranjani Muthunathan, 46, was travelling by bus with 56 others towards the Chinese border when their journey was suddenly disrupted.
She said they initially believed they were caught in a traffic jam before fog, smoke and floodwater engulfed the area.
“Then there was fog, smoke, something that seemed to suddenly engulf us,” she said, showing a video she recorded on her phone of the torrent rushing towards her.
Vehicles around them were swept away or buried under mud.
“One by one, we also climbed out through the driver’s side,” she said, describing how they eventually scrambled up a hill to escape the flood.
With thousands still missing and rescue operations continuing under dangerous conditions, authorities in Nepal and China remain focused on reaching isolated communities and locating survivors.
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