At least 547 people have been killed in devastating floods along the Nepal-Tibet border, with more than 1,400 people still missing after a massive flow of water, ice and mud swept through communities in the region.
Nepal police said on Friday that 472 bodies had been recovered after Wednesday’s disaster, which buried homes, destroyed bridges and swept away vehicles.
Chinese state media separately confirmed five deaths in Tibet, while Indian authorities recovered seven bodies from rivers flowing from Nepal. The seven bodies found in India are not included in the overall death toll.
The United States Geological Survey said the disaster, Nepal’s deadliest since the 2015 earthquake, was triggered by a glacial collapse that sent a vast flow of icy debris through the region.
The disaster has also created new dangers for rescue teams. A large pool of water formed by the accumulation of ice and mud burst on Friday in Tibet, prompting warnings for emergency workers searching for survivors.
Nepali police urged rescuers to “immediately move to a safe location” after receiving information that “a water dam has burst again on the Tibetan side”.
Chinese authorities had earlier suspended rescue operations in the hardest-hit area of Gyirong because of the risk of renewed flooding.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that a lake formed by huge piles of debris had begun overflowing towards an area where rescue teams were operating.
“So all rescue teams have been ordered to stand by in place and wait for further instructions,” it reported, adding that teams that had reached the area were ordered to withdraw one kilometre.
At a meeting chaired by Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday, officials warned of “many hidden dangers of glaciers, ice lakes and geological disasters in the surrounding area” and said rescue operations were facing major difficulties.
Race to Rescue Trapped Workers
Emergency teams have been working to reach survivors as food and water supplies run low across affected communities.
In Nepal, the military located people trapped inside a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower project and began efforts to reach them.
“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 had been brought to safety from the site, he said, while more than 100 people remained trapped in the area.
Workers rescued from other dam 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,” he said after being airlifted on Thursday following more than 24 hours stranded at the site.
“The senior officers working on the other side, they were all swept away.”
Families Search for Missing Relatives
Survivors sheltering in makeshift hospitals have been left waiting for news of relatives who remain missing.
Kula Priya, whose eldest son disappeared in the disaster, said she had lost everything when the floods struck.
“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.
“I don’t know where to go. We had three houses, all of which were washed away by the floods.”
Nepali authorities said 910 people, including 517 foreign tourists, remained out of contact in the country.
Indians account for the largest group among the missing foreigners, while the United States said 90 of its citizens were out of contact.
Across the border in Tibet, where access for foreign journalists is heavily restricted, Chinese authorities said hundreds remained missing and reported three deaths.
Authorities said 555 stranded tourists and 499 Chinese residents had been evacuated from Tibet.
Pilgrims Among Those Missing
The disaster has also affected Hindu pilgrims travelling towards Mount Kailash on the Chinese side of the border.
Among those searching for relatives is 26-year-old Malaysian national Logadarrsiny Raman, who said she had lost contact with her parents, aunt and uncle.
She said a travel agency told her that its last contact with the group of 17 Malaysians came on Wednesday morning while they were travelling towards the Nepal-China border.
The flooding struck the area shortly afterwards.
“I’m very anxious,” Raman said. “My only hope is to hear back from them that they are safe.”
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