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Rescue operations along the Nepal-China border have slowed significantly as the confirmed death toll from catastrophic flooding and mudslides reached at least 676 people, with nearly 3,000 individuals still unaccounted for. Nepal and Tibet’s combined figures, updated Saturday by local authorities, reflect the scale of destruction from Wednesday’s disaster, though Chinese officials separately reported seven confirmed deaths and more than 550 missing persons within their territory.
Investigators determined that a massive section of glacier ice dislodged and tumbled into the Lhende Khola River, triggering the initial chain of mudslides and flash floods across both regions. The disaster has been compounded by severed communication lines and destroyed infrastructure that continue to obstruct search and rescue teams’ access to affected areas.
Intermittent rainfall expected through the weekend poses additional challenges to ongoing recovery efforts. Narendra Pariyar, a senior official overseeing operations in Nepal’s Rasuwa district, stated that teams have temporarily suspended searches due to heavy rain and fog conditions.
Nepalese authorities have declined international personnel for general search operations but specifically requested specialized tunnel experts from China to reach approximately 100 individuals trapped inside a mud-clogged hydropower facility. China responded by airlifting five tunnel specialists from Tibet to assist with the extraction efforts.
A glacial lake that had formed on the Nepal-Tibet border and threatened additional flooding has substantially decreased in severity, Chinese officials confirmed Saturday. Nepal’s finance minister estimated reconstruction costs could exceed $4 billion, with damage assessments still underway across the disaster zone.
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