Rescue efforts intensified in Nepal as flood death toll surpasses 900

The death toll from catastrophic flooding in Nepal and Tibet has risen to more than 900, with over 4,700 people missing. According to The Associated Press, Brigadier Raja Ram Basnet, spokesperson for the Nepalese Army, said authorities have intensified rescue efforts in the disaster-affected areas. He stated, “We are working to search for and rescue people trapped in mountainous areas, settlements, and river zones.” Foreign rescue teams are participating alongside local rescue units in searching for workers trapped inside tunnels belonging to hydropower stations, with authorities indicating that at least 90 people are trapped in several tunnels. Nepal’s Department of Disaster Management reported 903 deaths and 4,247 missing, including 592 foreigners. In Tibet, Chinese authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 missing, including 261 foreigners, among them more than 100 Nepalis. The sudden floods that swept through the region on Wednesday were triggered by a landslide high in the Himalayas. Scientists who analyzed satellite imagery explained that the bedrock beneath a glacier in the upper Himalayas collapsed, taking a portion of the glacier with it. The rockfall was so severe that it was recorded as a magnitude 5.2 earthquake. The rocks and meltwater then caused river levels in the valleys below to surge, triggering a devastating flood that swept away buildings, bridges, and soil in Tibet and Nepal.