The death toll from devastating floods and landslides near the Nepal-China border has risen to 750, while more than 3,000 people remain missing as rescue operations entered their fifth day on Sunday.
Nepal’s disaster authority said 734 people had been confirmed dead, with 2,498 still unaccounted for. In Tibet, Chinese state media reported 16 deaths and 546 missing people, bringing the combined toll to 750 dead and 3,044 missing across Nepal and Tibet.
The disaster struck on Wednesday after a torrent of water, ice and debris swept through communities and hydropower projects along rivers in the Himalayan region.
The number of missing people in Nepal rose from 2,426 in the previous update issued on Saturday evening.
The missing include 589 foreign nationals, up from the 517 previously reported as out of contact. Another 933 people working on hydropower projects along rivers affected by the disaster are also missing.
Rescue teams have recovered or rescued 8,186 people in Nepal, including 227 foreign nationals.
In neighbouring India, authorities recovered seven bodies from rivers flowing from Nepal. The deaths are believed to be linked to the disaster but have not been included in Nepal’s official death toll.
Workers Trapped in Hydropower Tunnels
More than 100 workers are believed to be trapped inside several hydropower tunnels in Nepal.
The Nepali Army inserted a pipe into one of the tunnels at the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric project late on Saturday and began pumping air into the facility, according to Minister Sudan Gurung.
However, overnight rainfall and rising river levels have complicated rescue efforts, forcing disaster authorities to urge emergency teams to proceed with caution.
The trapped workers are among the 933 hydropower workers reported missing from projects along rivers hit by the torrent.
India has deployed an 11-member specialised rescue team, while China has sent a nine-member tunnel rescue team to support operations.
New Lake Raises Fresh Concerns
Rescue operations have also been complicated by the formation of a new lake near the Nepal-Tibet border after a landslide on Saturday evening.
China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported that a new barrier lake was forming about 2.8 kilometres from a previously drained lake that had threatened rescue operations in recent days.
Rescue personnel near the Gyirong border port were moved to safer locations while China’s Ministry of Emergency Management assembled experts to assess the emerging threat.
Chinese authorities have reported that 16 people died and 546 remain missing in Tibet, including 261 foreign nationals.
Independent verification of the disaster’s full impact in Tibet remains difficult because the region has largely remained inaccessible to foreign journalists.
Rebuilding Could Cost Billions
Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said rebuilding areas devastated by the floods and landslides could cost billions of dollars.
“We will do loss and damage research and then we plan, but I am reaching out to our international community for support,” Khanal said.
Families of missing people have continued to search for information at rescue centres.
At an army base in Bidur, one of the key rescue hubs, relatives gathered around lists of survivors in search of loved ones.
“I have come here looking for my son,” Kalka Sharda said.
“He was a labourer at the hydropower plant, but I can’t find his name, and the authorities are not saying anything.”
Glacial Collapse Under Investigation
The precise cause of the disaster remains under investigation, although officials and scientists have pointed to the vulnerability of the Himalayan region to climate-related hazards.
The United States Geological Survey said the disaster near the high-altitude China-Nepal border was caused by a glacial collapse that sent a torrent of debris downstream.
China’s state news agency Xinhua reported that experts concluded a glacier on the southern slope of Lirung Peak in Nepal fractured, triggering an ice-rock avalanche.
UN climate chief Simon Stiell said the disaster highlighted the fragility of mountain environments.
“The sudden glacial collapse and flash flood is a devastating reminder of how fragile these mountain environments can be,” Stiell said.
International Aid Grows
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies estimates that as many as 93,000 people in Nepal could be affected by the disaster.
Nepal has appealed for international financial support and specialised rescue equipment, including heavy-lift drones, DNA testing kits and body-freezer storage units.
The United States and Canada have each pledged about $3.6 million in humanitarian assistance, while the United Kingdom has offered $6.8 million.
The United Nations has released $2.5 million in emergency funding, while the European Union has pledged $2.3 million.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has allocated more than $1 million and launched an emergency appeal for $31 million.
Chinese President Xi Jinping also offered Beijing’s assistance, while Malaysia announced plans to deploy its Special Search and Rescue Team and contribute $1 million towards recovery efforts and support for victims.
Rescue operations are continuing in Nepal and China as authorities search for thousands of missing people and assess the full scale of the destruction.
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