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The death toll from devastating floods and landslides that struck Nepal and China’s Tibet region has climbed beyond 900, as emergency teams intensify efforts to locate thousands of people still missing, including hundreds of workers trapped in tunnels at hydropower facilities.
Nepal’s disaster management authorities said 903 bodies had so far been recovered nationwide, with some victims discovered as far as 150 miles from the areas initially devastated by Wednesday’s flooding. Nearly 4,250 people remain unaccounted for, among them hundreds of employees working on hydroelectric projects.
Across the border in Tibet, Chinese authorities reported at least 16 deaths and approximately 550 missing persons.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is currently in Kyrgyzstan attending a regional summit, said Beijing was deploying every available effort to locate those who remain missing.
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Thousands deployed in Nepal rescue operation
Nepal has mobilised more than 20,000 members of its army, police and paramilitary forces for rescue and relief operations. Prime Minister Balendra Shah said more than 9,000 people had already been evacuated, with many of the rescues carried out by helicopter.
The disaster represents the first major national emergency faced by Shah since his election earlier this year, when he secured a landslide victory amid widespread youth-led dissatisfaction.
Shah said the government had placed the entire state apparatus on an emergency footing to protect those affected.
“We are working day and night for the survival and relief of every citizen in the affected area by putting the entire state machinery on a war footing,” he said.
Hydropower tunnels become major rescue zones
Some of the most challenging rescue operations are taking place at hydropower projects scattered across Nepal’s mountainous terrain. The country has significantly expanded its hydropower industry over the past decade, leaving several major facilities vulnerable to the disaster.
A section of a glacier broke away in the Langtang mountain range close to the Chinese border, triggering a massive avalanche of rock and ice. The resulting torrent carried huge quantities of mud and debris into surrounding valleys, burying entrances to several hydropower tunnels under layers of sediment.
At the Upper Trishuli 3A hydropower project in Nuwakot, Nepalese army engineers used a controlled blast to gain access to a blocked tunnel. Two excavators were subsequently transported to the site by air and deployed to remove mud and debris believed to have accumulated to a depth of about 30 feet, according to an army spokesman.
A rescue team on Sunday descended through an opening created in the tunnel and attempted to make contact with anyone trapped underground. However, rescuers received no response, the prime minister’s office said.
At another hydropower facility, Nepalese rescuers and foreign specialists managed to advance roughly 330 feet into a tunnel before discovering that the passage was completely obstructed.
International specialists from India, China and South Korea have joined the operation, while geologists and other technical experts from several countries are providing assistance. Authorities said about 280 hydropower workers have so far been rescued.
Border crossing devastated in Tibet
The situation is also severe on the Chinese side of the border. Rescue teams succeeded in restoring limited mobile communication around Gyirong Port, a major crossing point between China and Nepal.
The border facility was struck by an enormous surge of floodwater that appears to have destroyed much of the surrounding infrastructure. Roads and communications facilities were among those swept away.
Rescue efforts at the site remain particularly hazardous, with the valley reportedly covered by more than 40 feet of mud. No survivors have yet been located there.
Foreign nationals among those missing
The disaster has also affected large numbers of foreign nationals.
More than 500 foreign tourists are reported missing in Nepal, while approximately 260 foreign nationals remain unaccounted for in Tibet.
Among them are about 80 Americans missing across Nepal and Tibet. Many were reportedly pilgrims travelling to sacred lakes and other religious sites regarded as important by both Hindu and Buddhist communities.
With large areas still cut off by destroyed roads, collapsed infrastructure and deep deposits of mud, authorities in both countries are continuing search-and-rescue operations while facing difficult mountainous terrain and the risk of further hazards.
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