Devastating floods and landslides along the Nepal-Tibet border have killed at least 552 people, with more than 1,400 others still missing as rescue teams race to find survivors amid fears of further flooding.
Nepalese police said on Friday that at least 547 people had died in the disaster, while Chinese state media reported five additional deaths in Tibet, bringing the combined toll to at least 552.
Hundreds of foreigners are among those still unaccounted for, while rescue operations have been complicated by damaged roads, unstable terrain and the threat of additional floods.
The United States Geological Survey said the disaster was triggered by a glacial collapse that sent a massive flow of ice, water and debris through affected communities. It is being described as Nepal’s deadliest disaster since the 2015 earthquake.
Indian authorities have also recovered seven bodies from rivers flowing from Nepal, which they believe may belong to victims of the floods. The bodies are not included in Nepal’s official death toll as efforts to identify them continue.
The disaster has created huge pools of water and debris across the region, with one such formation reportedly bursting in Tibet on Friday.
Nepali police warned rescue workers to immediately move to safer areas after receiving information that “a water dam has burst again on the Tibetan side”.
China also temporarily suspended rescue operations in the worst-hit area of Gyirong because of concerns over renewed flooding.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that a lake created by enormous piles of debris had begun overflowing towards areas where rescue teams were preparing to operate.
“So all rescue teams have been ordered to stand by in place and wait for further instructions,” it said, adding that emergency teams which had earlier accessed the area “have been ordered to withdraw one kilometer”.
A meeting chaired by Chinese President Xi Jinping also highlighted “many hidden dangers of glaciers, ice lakes and geological disasters in the surrounding area” and warned that “rescue is facing great difficulties,” according to Xinhua.
Rescue teams in Nepal have also been working to reach more than 100 people trapped inside a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower project.
Nepali Army spokesman Raja Ram Basnet said helicopters had been deployed, although reaching the tunnel has proved difficult because rescuers have struggled to locate its entrances.
“Two helicopters have been dispatched, but it is challenging because it is tough to even locate the entry points of the tunnel,” he said.
About 350 workers and residents have already been rescued from the site, while efforts continue to reach those still trapped.
One survivor, Buddha Tamang, said he escaped the flood because he was inside a tunnel when the disaster struck.
“I survived as I was in the tunnel,” said Tamang, who was airlifted after spending more than 24 hours stranded.
“The senior officers working on the other side, they were all swept away.”
The disaster has left families searching hospitals, emergency centres and rescue sites for information about relatives who remain missing.
Kula Priya, whose eldest son disappeared in the floods, said she had lost everything in the disaster.
“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. Indians account for the largest group of missing foreign nationals, while the United States said 90 of its citizens were still unaccounted for.
Across the border in Tibet, Chinese authorities said hundreds of people remained missing and three had died. Officials also reported that 555 stranded tourists and 499 Chinese residents had been evacuated.
Pilgrims Among Those Missing
The affected region is also an important route for Hindu pilgrims travelling towards Mount Kailash in China, leaving several international pilgrims among those missing.
Logadarrsiny Raman, a 26-year-old Malaysian, said she had lost contact with her parents, aunt and uncle, who were travelling as part of a group of 17 Malaysians.
According to Raman, the travel agency last contacted the group on Wednesday morning while they were heading towards the Nepal-China border. The floods struck the area shortly afterwards.
“I’m very anxious,” she said. “My only hope is to hear back from them that they are safe.”
With rescue operations continuing under increasingly difficult conditions, authorities on both sides of the border are racing against time to locate survivors, account for missing people and protect emergency workers from further flooding.
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