Rescue operations in areas hit by devastating flash floods near the Nepal-China border have entered the fourth day with authorities continuing to locate survivors and transfer them to safety. Families anxiously await news of their loved ones as the death toll rises and the number of missing individuals increases.
Chinese officials have confirmed seven fatalities and over 550 missing persons, while Nepal’s disaster agency reports a death toll of 669 with 2,426 individuals unaccounted for. In Nepal, over 3,700 people have been rescued to date.
In Nuwakot, a district severely affected by the floods, helicopters resumed their operations on Saturday, delivering aid supplies like clothes, food items, and transporting survivors from the flood-stricken areas. Villagers in Trishuli, while some are leaving, are returning to assess the damage to their homes and salvage belongings.
In Kathmandu, families gather outside the main government hospital, searching for information about missing relatives. Desperate search efforts include scanning lists of injured patients and hanging posters with contact details to aid in locating missing loved ones. The hospital help desk has received reports of approximately 1,600 missing persons since the disaster occurred.
Rescue teams are actively engaged in search-and-rescue operations at various locations in Nepal and Tibet, including the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project and the Gyirong border crossing. Efforts are focused on reaching trapped individuals, particularly in a tunnel filled with mud at the hydropower construction site.
Monitoring data indicates a reduction in the size of a newly formed lake post-flood, with aid trucks en route from Kathmandu to the impacted regions. The search continues at the China-Nepal border, with rescuers utilizing drones and rafts to access the affected areas. The death toll in China has risen to seven, with 554 people reported missing, including foreign nationals in the region for various purposes.