KATHMANDU: Devastating floods and mudslides near Nepal’s border with China have killed at least 734 people in Nepal, while 2,498 remain missing, the country’s disaster management authority said on Sunday as rescue operations entered their fifth day.
The latest figures pushed the combined death toll from the disaster in Nepal and Tibet to at least 750, with 3,044 people reported missing.
Nepal’s missing persons tally increased from 2,426 reported on Saturday evening. The list includes 589 foreign nationals, up from 517 previously reported as out of contact.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 933 workers employed on hydropower projects along the river struck by the torrent were also among those missing.
Rescue teams have so far rescued 8,186 people in Nepal, including 227 foreign nationals, according to the authority.
In neighbouring India, authorities have recovered seven bodies from rivers flowing from Nepal. The victims are believed to have been killed in the floods, but the bodies have not been included in Nepal’s official death toll.
Foreign nationals missing in Tibet
On the Chinese side of the border, authorities said 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries remain missing following a mudslide that swept through the Himalayan region.
China has reported 16 deaths in Tibet, with 546 people initially reported missing following Wednesday’s disaster.
According to Chinese officials, Nepalese nationals account for the largest number of missing foreigners in Tibet, with 104 people unaccounted for. The missing also include 49 Indians, 33 Americans, 18 Latvians and 15 Britons.
Chinese authorities said foreign missions had been notified about the missing nationals.
The nationality breakdown was the first detailed account released by the Chinese side since the collapse of a glacier unleashed a massive torrent of ice, rock, mud and debris into Himalayan river systems on Wednesday.
Local police told Reuters that residents and rescue workers had moved to higher ground after water levels in the nearby Trishuli River rose, highlighting the continued risk of further flooding.
China links disaster to global warming
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that the disaster was caused by glacier instability linked to the long-term effects of global warming.
Chinese authorities described the incident as an emerging feature of cryosphere-related disasters on the Tibetan Plateau.
According to findings by Chinese scientists cited by CCTV, the mudslide took only six to seven minutes to travel from the Nepalese side to the Gyirong border crossing.
Surveillance footage from the crossing showed torrents of water and debris engulfing buildings as people attempted to flee.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Nepalese counterpart during a telephone call on Saturday that the disaster was among the most severe cross-border disasters in recent years and that rescue operations were facing unprecedented difficulties and complexity.
China has mobilised more than 2,100 emergency rescue workers and allocated at least 220 million yuan to support relief operations. Beijing is also providing emergency financial assistance, relief supplies, satellite and hydrological data and tunnel rescue experts to Nepal.
The two countries are cooperating to locate missing citizens and foreign nationals while also strengthening coordination on disaster prevention, mitigation and climate change response.
The Red Cross estimates that more than 90,000 people may have been affected by the disaster.
