The number of people reported missing in Nepal and China rose to nearly 3,000 on Saturday, according to the latest official figures, while at least 633 bodies have been recovered. Authorities also warned that some victims may have been swept downstream into India.
In Nepal, the disaster authority added 933 hydropower workers to its missing persons list, alongside trekkers and pilgrims travelling towards Tibet’s sacred Mount Kailash.
Survivors described widespread destruction, with entire settlements along rivers washed away. Many families were still waiting for information about missing relatives as rescue teams struggled to reach devastated areas.
The Red Cross said the impact of Wednesday’s disaster had been “enormous”, with up to 93,000 people potentially affected. It warned that the death toll could increase as emergency teams continued searching for survivors.
Rescue operations have been further complicated by shortages of food and water and the threat of additional flooding. Landslides and melting ice caused large temporary lakes to form, posing further risks to rescue workers.
Nepali police urged rescuers to move to safer locations after receiving reports that another water barrier had burst on the Tibetan side of the border.
In Tibet, Chinese authorities temporarily halted rescue operations in the worst-hit area of Gyirong because of the risk of renewed flooding. The threat later eased, with state media reporting that two villagers had been rescued.
On the Nepali side, the military continued efforts to rescue workers trapped inside a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower project. Army spokesman Raja Ram Basnet said two helicopters had been deployed, but locating the tunnel entrances remained difficult.
About 350 workers and residents had been evacuated from the site, while more than 100 people were still believed to be trapped.
Workers rescued from other hydropower projects in the Trishuli valley said the flooding struck with little warning. One survivor said he escaped because he was inside a tunnel when the floodwaters arrived, while several senior officials working outside were swept away.
Nepal’s death toll reached 626 on Saturday, while 2,426 people, including hundreds of foreigners, remained unaccounted for.
Across the border in Tibet, seven people had died and 554 were still missing, according to Chinese state media. Authorities said 555 stranded tourists and 499 Chinese residents had been evacuated from affected areas.
In India, officials recovered seven bodies from rivers flowing from Nepal, with the victims believed to have been caught in the floods.
Among those missing are Hindu pilgrims from several countries who were travelling towards Mount Kailash in Tibet.
Indian pilgrim Sivaranjani Muthunathan, who was travelling with 56 others, said their bus became trapped after what initially appeared to be a traffic jam. She said fog and smoke suddenly surrounded the area before floodwaters surged towards them, sweeping away vehicles and burying others under mud.
The group eventually escaped through the driver’s side of the bus and climbed to higher ground.
