Nepal-Tibet flood death toll rises to 682 as nearly 3,000 remain missing

The death toll from devastating floods in the China-Nepal border region has risen to 682, authorities said on Saturday, as rescue teams continued searching for nearly 3,000 missing people for a fourth consecutive day.

Nepal’s National Disaster Management Authority said 675 people had died in Nepal. Chinese state media confirmed seven deaths in Tibet, taking the combined death toll in the two countries to 682.

Mountain torrents and tsunami-like flows of mud and water devastated several entire villages in the Himalayan foothills on Wednesday. Rescue workers from Nepal and China remain deployed in the affected areas.

Authorities in both countries said more than 682 bodies had already been recovered. Officials fear the toll could rise further, with some bodies believed to have been carried by rivers across the border from Tibet and Nepal into neighbouring India.

Kawan Koirala, a member of the Nepal Scout Disaster Response Team, said rescue work was being hampered by knee-deep, heavy and dense mud.

“People want the bodies of their relatives back, even if they are dead, but we cannot find them because of the mud,” Koirala said after working continuously for 18 hours. “I have seen floods in Nepal before, but I have never seen such a horrific situation.”

The United States Geological Survey said a glacial collapse on the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday caused a fast-moving avalanche of ice, rocks and mud to surge down the mountain, triggering the disaster.

Scientists believe such disasters are increasing globally as climate change accelerates ice melt.

Nearly all settlements along the riverbanks have been washed away. Buddhi Ram Dangol, a resident of Nuwakot district in Nepal, said through tears: “All the houses by the river have been swept away. Nothing is left.”

Hundreds of people are searching for the names of relatives on lists of rescued people displayed at an army camp in the Bidur area of Nuwakot.

Kalka Sarda, who is searching for his 18-year-old son, said: “My son worked at a hydropower plant. His name is not on the rescue list here. If he were alive, he would certainly have contacted us by now, so I no longer have any hope.”

The region, known as a hub for hydropower projects, has 933 hydropower workers reported missing. The missing list also includes 517 foreign nationals, including trekkers and Hindu pilgrims travelling to Tibet’s sacred Mount Kailash.

The Red Cross said about 93,000 people could have been affected by the disaster and warned that the death toll could increase.

Nepal Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal said on Saturday that billions of dollars would be needed to rebuild infrastructure in the flood-hit region. Khanal said the immediate priority was saving lives and continuing rescue operations.

Nepal has requested drones and other specialised technology to rescue people trapped in difficult terrain and adverse weather. Kathmandu has also sought international assistance with forensic kits and freezer units to prevent recovered bodies from decomposing rapidly.

Conditions along the Tibet border remain critical. China has suspended its rescue operation in the Gyirong area because of the risk of further flood damage.

Nepalese army personnel are continuing efforts to rescue around 100 people trapped inside tunnels at the Trishuli-3A and 3B hydropower plants in Nepal. A special rescue team from India has arrived in Nepal to support the operation.