Nepal-China Flood Death Toll Surpasses 1,270 as Rescue Operations Continue

Rescue teams in Nepal are continuing efforts to reach people trapped in remote areas more than a week after devastating flash floods and mudslides swept through communities in the Himalayan region.

Authorities said on Thursday that more than 1,270 people had died across Nepal and neighbouring Tibet, while thousands remained missing.

Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority reported that 1,252 bodies had been recovered, with 4,216 people still missing. In Tibet, Chinese authorities reported 21 deaths and 541 missing people.

Hundreds of workers are feared trapped inside hydropower facilities, including tunnels, near Nepal’s border with China. Rescue teams are using bulldozers and other heavy equipment to clear massive amounts of mud blocking access to the facilities.

“We still hope there are some survivors inside,” said Sanjay KC, an officer with the Nepalese Army engineering department, explaining that parts of a large hydropower facility may not have been completely flooded.

In remote villages, authorities are using helicopters and zip lines to reach stranded residents. The United Nations Development Programme estimates that the floods and mudflows have left about 2.2 million tonnes of debris across affected areas.

Meanwhile, families of missing people continue to gather at rescue and identification centres, hoping to receive information about their relatives. Forensic teams in Kathmandu are working to identify recovered bodies, many of which are severely decomposed.

Nepal has also begun preparing for a major reconstruction effort. NDRRMA chief Dharma Raj Upreti said around 20,000 homes would need to be rebuilt, including 7,500 that were completely destroyed.

Officials said many affected communities would not be rebuilt in their original locations because doing so could expose residents to similar risks in the future. Authorities are therefore searching for safer areas where displaced communities can be relocated.

The United Nations said more than 3,400 displaced people were staying at 27 temporary sites in Nuwakot and Rasuwa, with many living in schools.

Nepali officials have also called on major greenhouse-gas-emitting countries to take responsibility for the climate-related risks faced by vulnerable nations. Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said Nepal had formally submitted a climate compensation claim to international partners.

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