Death Toll from Nepal and Tibet Floods Rises to 1,410, with 5,651 Missing
- More than 13,600 people rescued in Nepal, including over 300 foreigners
- International teams continue search inside hydropower project tunnels
Kathmandu, Capital News Agencies: The death toll from the catastrophic floods that struck Nepal and Tibet on August 26 has risen to 1,410, while 5,651 people remain missing, as search and rescue operations continue for thousands of missing individuals on both sides of the border.
In Nepal, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced, based on the latest data from relevant government authorities as of 2:00 PM today, Wednesday, that 1,367 bodies have been recovered from affected areas, while approximately 5,100 people remain missing, including around 600 foreigners from 35 countries.
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Data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority showed that the number of registered missing persons reached 5,132, including approximately 589 foreign tourists.
The number of people rescued in Nepal so far stands at 13,646, including more than 300 foreigners, as search and rescue teams continued their operations for the fifteenth consecutive day.
Specialized teams from India, China, and South Korea, in coordination with the Nepali army, continued search operations inside hydropower project tunnels, alongside teams from the UAE, Malaysia, and Australia participating in search and rescue efforts.
The Nepali Foreign Ministry confirmed that the reported number of people missing inside the tunnels has not been finally verified, while expressing continued hope for finding survivors.
Rescue teams have so far managed to extract three people alive from the tunnels, including two Nepalis rescued from the "Upper Trishuli 3A" project tunnel on September 4, and a Chinese citizen rescued from the "Upper Trishuli 1" project tunnel the following day.
Regarding the identification of victims, Nepali authorities announced the identification of 102 recovered bodies, which were handed over to their families, while forensic teams continued collecting and analyzing DNA samples to identify the remaining victims, with the participation of specialized teams from India, China, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea.
Authorities are also working to reopen roads, repair electricity and communication networks, and deliver aid to isolated areas, while the Nepali army uses drones to transport food, medicine, fuel, and essential supplies to areas difficult to reach due to destroyed roads and bridges.
The Nepali Foreign Ministry announced that 736 Nepalis who were stranded on the Chinese side have returned to their country via the Tatopani border crossing as of Tuesday, with another 32 scheduled to return today through the same crossing.
In Tibet, the latest official Chinese data showed that the death toll from mudflows and debris in Gyirong County has risen to 43, while 519 people remain missing, including 261 foreigners.
Combining the latest official figures from both sides of the border, the disaster toll has reached 1,410 dead and 5,651 missing, including 848 foreigners on the missing lists in Nepal and Tibet.
The disaster was caused by a massive collapse of ice and rocks in the upper Himalayas within Nepali territory near the Tibet border, leading to a surge of large quantities of water, ice, rocks, mud, and debris through the valleys and the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river systems, destroying homes, roads, bridges, and hydropower facilities.
Latest assessments indicate that the rapid collapse of an ice and rock mass was behind the catastrophic flow, while authorities and experts continue to study the details of the incident's development and its relation to the instability of glaciers in the region.
Meanwhile, the Nepalese government announced that it is preparing a comprehensive assessment of damages and the needs for reconstruction, while initial needs for the first phase of recovery have been estimated at around $5 billion.
