Key facts
- At least 750 people have died in floods affecting Nepal and Tibet.
- More than 3,000 people remain missing.
- The disaster was likely triggered by a glacier-related collapse in Nepal.
- Rescue operations are ongoing but hampered by bad weather and rising river levels.
- Over 100 hydropower workers may be trapped in a tunnel in Nepal.
At least 750 people have died and more than 3,000 remain missing following devastating floods and a mudslide that struck Nepal and Tibet near the Chinese border. Rescue efforts, now in their fifth day, are being hampered by heavy rain and rising river waters, complicating the search for survivors, including hydropower workers believed to be trapped in tunnels.
Nepal's disaster management agency has reported 734 deaths and 2,498 missing within the country, while Chinese authorities have confirmed 16 deaths and 546 missing in the Tibet region. Over 3,700 people have been rescued in Nepal so far.
The disaster, which occurred on August 26, was likely triggered by a rapid slope failure involving a glacier in Nepal's Langtang National Park, according to the USGS. The resulting debris flow traveled nearly 100 km downstream, destroying homes, roads, bridges, and hydropower infrastructure.
Authorities are focusing on critical locations such as the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project in Rasuwa, Nepal, where over 100 people may be trapped inside a mud-filled tunnel. Search operations are also underway around the severely damaged Gyirong border crossing on the Chinese side.
Nepal has requested specialized assistance from neighboring countries for complex tunnel rescues, survivor-detection technology, and forensic identification. An Indian tunnel-rescue reconnaissance team has arrived, and China has also dispatched specialists to aid the operation. India has provided relief supplies and offered technical teams and prefabricated bridges to help restore connectivity.