Tragedy in Nepal / Flood Death Toll Rises Above 600, Around 2,500 Missing

The death toll from devastating floods along the Nepal-Tibet border has risen above 600, as frantic rescue operations to search for hundreds of missing people entered their fourth day.

According to foreign media, figures from both countries put the number of missing at approximately 3,000, with 682 bodies recovered and reports of bodies being carried as far as India. According to Nepal’s natural disaster agency, the death toll there now stands at 675, with 2,426 people, including foreign nationals, still listed as missing.

Across the border in Tibet, China’s state news agency, Xinhua, has confirmed seven deaths and reported 554 people missing. A glacial collapse on Wednesday sent rocks, ice, mud and debris surging down through the Himalayan mountain river systems.

The floods swept through areas near the Chinese border, destroying entire towns and damaging hydropower plants. Rescue teams are struggling with thick layers of mud in the affected areas, making it difficult for helicopters to land and take off.

The army has found people trapped in a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower project in Nepal’s Rasuwa district. More than 100 people are believed to be inside the mud-filled tunnel.

Basnet said rescue teams were trying to locate entry points to the tunnel and had used baskets and ropes to reach some people. There are also few places for helicopters to land in the area.