At least 469 people have died and around 1,400 remain missing after devastating floods and landslides swept through Nepal’s Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river regions earlier this week. Rescue teams continue to search for survivors as Nepal and China warn of fresh flooding risks along the Himalayan border.
The Ministry of External Affairs said 290 Indian nationals remain uncontactable in Nepal, while 84 Indians, including 63 workers from the Trishuli-I project and 21 from Tamil Nadu, have been rescued. Around 200 Indians undertaking the Mansarovar Yatra have also sought evacuation.
Overall, 910 people, including 517 foreign tourists, remain out of contact in Nepal.
Chinese authorities have warned that a lake formed by Wednesday’s mudslide faces a high risk of breaching, potentially sending floodwaters downstream.
Helpline numbers:
Indian Embassy in Kathmandu / MEA 24×7 control room: +977 985 131 6807, +977 970 910 7500, +977 981 032 6117
Nepal Police emergency: 100
Nepal Police toll-free: 16600141516
China paused a rescue operation on Friday due to the high risk of renewed flooding in Tibet where hundreds remain missing after a deadly mudslide hit the border region.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that a lake formed by immense piles of debris has begun overflowing towards the area that rescue teams were headed.
"So all rescue teams have been ordered to stand by in place and wait for further instructions," it said, adding that emergency teams which had earlier accessed the area "have been ordered to withdraw one kilometer".
Nepal Police has released details of unidentified and unclaimed bodies recovered after the Bhotekoshi floods in Rasuwa district. Families can scan the QR code to check the details or visit the official Nepal Police portal.
Nepali army helicopter rescue teams were working Friday to rescue around 100 people trapped inside a tunnel at a hydropower project swamped by a devastating flood two days earlier.
"Our focus is in search and rescue of people... some people are trapped in the tunnel of Trishuli 3A hydropower project," Nepal Army spokesman Raja Ram Basnet told AFP.
The prime minister's office said in a statement that 350 people had been rescued from the area, but that 100 more were trapped.
Earth scientists have reviewed satellite imagery to investigate the cause of the disaster and assess the devastation.
Geomorphologists Kristen Cook and Dan Shugar said initial images from Nepal were obscured by clouds and dust from the debris, showing only that part of a glacier had broken off from Langtang Lirung peak near the Tibet border. In clearer images from Thursday, they said the bedrock beneath the glacier had collapsed, taking a massive chunk of ice with it and sending boulders and ice into the valley.
Nepal has declined offers from several countries to deploy search and rescue teams after the Bhotekoshi floods, saying its security agencies can manage the operations. The government has instead asked countries to provide financial assistance through a centralised mechanism, the Kathmandu Post reported.
Officials cited coordination challenges during the 2015 earthquake as a reason for the decision. India, China, the US, UK, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had offered assistance, including search and rescue teams.
About 90 US citizens remain unaccounted for after catastrophic flash floods hit Nepal and Tibet, US officials said.
The State Department said no American deaths have been reported, while three US citizens have been rescued. Many of those missing were on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet.
A lake formed after a mudslide hit the China-Nepal border faces a high risk of breaching and sending floodwaters downstream, Chinese authorities warned.
Water levels are expected to rise over the next three days and peak around September 1 amid continued rainfall, state media reported. The breach could threaten areas including Gyirong Port and other downstream locations.
Devastating floods on the Nepal-Tibet border region have killed at least 469 people, Nepali police said Friday, 48 hours after the disaster.
Chinese state media had earlier confirmed three dead, taking the total killed to at least 472. More than 1,400 people are missing, including hundreds of foreigners.