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 a fifth day on Sunday.
Nepal’s disaster authority said 734 people had died in the disaster, while 2,498 people remained unaccounted for.
Chinese state media reported that 16 people had died in Tibet, with a further 546 missing following the disaster, bringing the combined death toll in Nepal and Tibet to 750 and the number of missing to 3,044.
The disaster struck on Wednesday after what officials described as a torrent of water, ice and debris swept through communities and hydropower projects along rivers in the Himalayan region.
Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said the number of missing people had increased from 2,426 recorded in its previous update on Saturday evening.
The list of missing people includes 589 foreign nationals, up from 517 previously reported as out of contact.
A further 933 people working on hydropower projects along rivers affected by the disaster are also missing, according to the authority.
Rescue teams have so far recovered or rescued 8,186 people in Nepal, including 227 foreign nationals.
In neighbouring India, authorities said seven bodies had been recovered from rivers flowing from Nepal and were believed to be victims of the floods. The deaths have not been included in Nepal’s official toll.
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 rain and rising river levels hampered rescue efforts, prompting Nepal’s disaster authorities to urge rescue teams to exercise caution.
The trapped workers are among the 933 hydropower workers reported missing from projects along rivers hit by the torrent of water and debris.
India has deployed an 11-member specialised rescue team to assist with the operation, while China has sent a nine-member tunnel rescue team.
New Lake Threatens Rescue Operations
Rescue operations were also complicated by the formation of a new lake near the Nepal-Tibet border following a landslide on Saturday evening.
China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported that a new barrier lake was forming about 2.8 kilometres (1.74 miles) from a previously drained lake that had threatened rescue efforts in recent days.
Rescue personnel near the Gyirong border port were moved to safer locations while China’s Ministry of Emergency Management convened experts to assess the situation.
Tibet has remained largely inaccessible to foreign journalists, making independent verification of the scale of the disaster there difficult.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that 16 people had died and 546 were missing in Tibet, including 261 foreign nationals.
Reconstruction Cost
Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said the cost of rebuilding areas affected by the disaster could run into “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.
At an army base in the Nepali town of Bidur, a key rescue hub, relatives of missing people gathered around lists of survivors posted on a wall.
“I have come here looking for my son,” Kalka Sharda said while searching the list.
“He was a labourer at the hydropower plant, but I can’t find his name, and the authorities are not saying anything.”
Climate Change Concerns
The parents of an Australian woman reported missing after the floods said they were “elated” and relieved after their daughter was found safe.
Cara Severino, 24, was found “safe and well” on Friday, according to her parents.
At least 42 Australians remain unaccounted for, many of them pilgrims who had travelled to Nepal to visit religious sites.
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 on Sunday that experts had concluded that a glacier on the southern slope of Lirung Peak in Nepal fractured, triggering an ice-rock avalanche.
UN climate chief Simon Stiell said the incident highlighted the vulnerability 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
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 assistance 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 on Friday.
Malaysia said it would deploy its Malaysian Special Search and Rescue Team (SMART) to assist with rescue operations and contribute $1 million towards recovery efforts and support for victims.
Rescue operations are continuing as authorities in Nepal and China work to locate missing people and assess the full scale of the destruction.
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