&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Nepal floods Highlights: 320 Indian national remain uncontactable, says MEA")
Nepal floods Highlights: The death toll from the catastrophic floods and landslides along the China-Nepal border has risen to 469, as authorities issued fresh warnings of another potentially devastating flood that could further complicate the search for more than 1,400 missing people.
Fresh flood threat slows rescue efforts
Rescue teams are racing against time after a torrent of freezing water, mud and debris tore through remote Himalayan settlements, destroying homes, bridges and dams and sweeping away vehicles.
Their work is now threatened by a lake formed behind massive piles of landslide debris. Chinese authorities warned late Thursday that it faces a “high risk of breaching and sending floodwaters downstream”. Nepal's Flood Forecasting Division also issued a “special notice”, urging extreme caution.
Soldiers and emergency workers have been using sniffer dogs, drones and other equipment to search areas buried beneath thick layers of mud.
Hundreds of tourists remain unaccounted for
Nepal has recovered 389 bodies, while 910 people, including 517 foreign tourists, remain out of contact. China says another 100 of its citizens are missing in Nepal.
Indians account for the largest group of missing foreign nationals. The United States said 90 of its citizens were also out of contact, while nationals from several other countries remain missing.
Across the border in Tibet, officials say hundreds are unaccounted for, while three deaths have been reported. Chinese authorities have evacuated hundreds of stranded tourists and local residents.
Glacial collapse triggered disaster
The US Geological Survey said the disaster was triggered by a glacial collapse, initially mistaken for a magnitude 4.4 earthquake. The resulting debris flow had “catastrophic” downstream impacts across Nepal and Tibet.
Environmental historian Ruth Gamble described the surge as being “like an inland tsunami”, travelling nearly 170 kilometres into Nepal.
A 30-year-old engineer from Himachal Pradesh's Una district has gone missing in Nepal following the devastating floods and natural calamity that hit parts of the neighbouring country, officials said on Friday.
Sukhwinder Singh, a resident of Ward No. 8 of Mehatpur-Basdehra Municipal Council, has reportedly been untraceable since the floods and ensuing devastation in Nepal. He is the son of Hussain Lal.
According to information available with the district administration, Sukhwinder had been living in Nepal for employment and was working as an engineer at the Trishuli Hydropower Project-1.
His family lost contact with him following the natural disaster. Despite repeated attempts to reach him, his phone could not be reached, raising concerns over his safety.
Nepal's disaster authority raised the number of missing to 1,924 on Friday, two days after devastating floods that killed at least 579 in the country.
The number of missing includes 517 foreigners, as well as 933 workers on hydropower projects on the rivers where a wall of water broke down on Wednesday morning, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.
The Nepal-Tibet flood disaster has left an "enormous" level of trauma, the Red Cross said Friday, with early estimates suggesting 93,000 people may have been affected.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the world's largest humanitarian network, fears the death toll from Wednesday's disaster, already above 500, will continue to rise.
"Due to roads and bridges having been washed out and both cell coverage and electricity cuts, we have not yet been able to access some of the hardest-hit areas," said David Fisher, the IFRC head of delegation for Nepal.
As rescue and relief operations continue in flood-hit Nepal, 320 Indian nationals remain "uncontactable" while around 100 persons of Indian origin are also yet to be reached out to, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday, underlining that the figures remain fluid as authorities work to reconcile multiple lists of missing people.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, speaking at a press briefing here, said the ministry was working continuously to establish contact with Indians affected by the flash flood and coordinate their evacuation.
Giving an update on the situation, Jaiswal said 21 Indian nationals who had arrived in Kathmandu from the flood-affected area had reached Delhi today, adding that India's Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava had met the group in Kathmandu and enquired about their well-being.
"First, good news: 21 Indian nationals who had arrived yesterday in Kathmandu from the area which was affected by the flood have landed in Delhi," Jaiswal said.
Contact has been established with around 400 Indian citizens from the Chinese side, all of whom are safe, and the Indian Embassy in Beijing is making arrangements for their safe evacuation amid the disruption caused by landslides following the devastating flash floods in Nepal, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, during a press briefing, said that the Indian Embassy was in direct contact with the stranded citizens, their travel agents and group leaders to coordinate their return to India.
"I would also like to inform you that on the Chinese side there are about 400 Indian citizens with whom we have been able to establish contact. All of them are safe and have spoken to their family members, as telephone facilities are available there," Jaiswal said during the briefing.
He said several family members had also contacted the Indian Embassy in Beijing through its helpline, while the embassy was coordinating with those stranded as well as their travel groups.
Australian foreign minister Penny Wong spoke to her Nepalese counterpart to convey Australia’s deepest condolences following the devastating floods.
In a post on X, Wong wrote that she had spoken to Shisir Khanal, and outlined Australia’s $5m humanitarian assistance package announced earlier today, which includes $2 million to the World Food Programme and $1 million to the Emergency Action Alliance.
The overall death toll in Nepal has risen to 538 people, with more than 1,500 still missing, AFP report, citing the disaster authority.
Earlier this morning, it was 469.
Nepal flood death toll rises to 538: Disaster authority
So far, 117 tourists have been rescued, including 85 Indians, 16 Chinese, 9 South Koreans, 2 Italians and 2 US nationals, Reuters reports, citing a tourism ministry source.
Drone footage released by Chinese authorities showed a landslide-dammed lake on the Nepal-Tibet border formed by glacier debris on Thursday (August 27) following a deadly glacier collapse earlier in the week.
Authorities in Nepal's flood-hit Nuwakot district urged residents to evacuate on Friday (August 28) as a lake formed by a landslide on the Nepal-China border started to overflow, putting at risk areas devastated by a flash flood two days ago and forcing a temporary halt to rescue efforts.
The death toll from a mudslide in Tibet near the China-Nepal border has risen to five, Chinese state media reported on Friday. According to state broadcaster CCTV, 558 people remain missing after the disaster.
The latest figures mark an increase from the previously reported death toll of three. Rescue and search efforts are continuing in the affected area as authorities assess the scale of the disaster. The incident comes amid a wider flood crisis affecting areas around the Tibet-Nepal border, with severe damage and casualties reported in Nepal following flash floods earlier this week.
Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah and his council of ministers will contribute one month's salary to the Prime Minister's Disaster Relief Fund following the devastating floods in Rasuwa and surrounding areas.
The cabinet also directed the Finance Ministry to prepare a relief and rehabilitation package for individuals and businesses affected by the disaster. In a move relevant to India, Nepal also approved in principle the purchase of 25,000 metric tonnes of DAP fertiliser from India through government-to-government procurement. The decisions were taken during a cabinet meeting focused on rescue, relief and reconstruction efforts.
Meanwhile, authorities remain alert to the possibility of fresh flooding after a large barrier lake near the Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers reportedly breached. People in the Trishuli area were evacuated again amid concerns over rising water levels. Authorities have recovered 475 bodies so far.
Actor Anupam Kher has expressed solidarity with Nepal as the country struggles with the aftermath of devastating flash floods. In a video message shared on social media, Kher said he was "deeply saddened and horrified" by the destruction, with lives lost, families separated and homes swept away.
He expressed sympathy for grieving families and those still waiting for information about their loved ones. Kher also extended his prayers to people affected across the border in Tibet, hoping those needing help are rescued and displaced families receive shelter and support.
The Nepali Army intensified rescue operations in Rasuwa on Friday to evacuate workers trapped inside a hydropower project tunnel following the devastating Bhote Koshi floods. Two workers have so far been safely rescued, while teams continue searching for others who may remain trapped. The operation is being carried out under hazardous conditions with technical equipment and specially trained personnel.
Meanwhile, Nepal Police evacuated people from the Trishuli area after a warning of a possible rise in water levels. Police said rescue and reconstruction work had been halted as authorities moved people to safer locations. The flood death toll has risen to 475, according to police cited by The Kathmandu Post. The fresh alert followed a magnitude 5.1 earthquake in China's Sichuan province and reports of another dam burst on the Tibetan side.
West Bengal Tourism Minister Shankar Ghosh on Friday met families of tourists missing after devastating flash floods in Nepal and assured them of all possible help in tracing their whereabouts.
Ghosh said the state government is coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs and Nepalese authorities to obtain information on missing Indians. He said several families had contacted him, but communication remains difficult as Nepal continues large-scale rescue operations. Ghosh said the state control room is maintaining contact with families and officials are working to establish communication with tourists who remain unreachable. He declined to disclose the number of missing tourists, citing the sensitivity of the matter. Meanwhile, the death toll from the Bhotekoshi flood has risen to 475, according to police cited by The Kathmandu Post.
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday said India will extend all possible assistance to Nepal following devastating floods in the Himalayan nation. Chouhan said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken with his Nepalese counterpart and directed immediate steps for rescue and humanitarian aid, with locating missing people a top priority. Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs released the names of 63 Indian nationals working at the Trishuli-I project who have been rescued from the flood-hit areas. Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 389 bodies had been recovered, while 977 people remained missing following the Bhote Koshi River flood in Rasuwa district. The figures cover the emergency situation in Rasuwa and major ongoing search and rescue operations.
Nepal Police Officer P Chaudhary says, "The water level is about to rise, so everyone is being stopped. The vehicles that were engaged in the operation are all returning. They are all coming back. Everyone is being evacuated from there and is being taken to a safe location. All the work has stopped. Even worse flooding is yet to come; that is why everyone is being put on alert."
Nepal issued a warning on Friday (August 28) to move to higher ground after a dam upstream in Tibet was reported to have burst. This comes after two days of glacial collapse, which caused deadly flooding in Nepal, claiming the lives of over 450 people.
Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed deep sorrow over the devastating flash floods in Nepal and said Dhaka should extend all possible practical cooperation, including offering the Saidpur Airport as a humanitarian logistics hub for relief operations if requested by Kathmandu. Hasina said she was pained by the sudden flooding in Rasuwa district, including Timure, Syabrubesi and Rasuwagadhi areas.
The government has directed all universities in Nepal to suspend examinations scheduled from August 29, citing the disruption caused by natural disasters to the lives of students, parents and the general public.
Rescue and relief operations are in full swing across flood-affected regions as UNICEF representatives arrive in Nuwakot to evaluate the humanitarian situation and provide critical aid to displaced populations. Speaking during the ground assessment, a UNICEF member told ANI, detailing the ongoing response efforts by stating, "We are assessing the situation. Yes, we coordinate with the Nepal government."
Amid the Nepal flash flood, the water level of the Ganga remains normal in the lower reaches of the Gandak river, which flows from Nepal to Bihar. A local says, "...the situation is that the water came down from Nepal, but the water level is stable now; there is no further rise in the water level here...people in Nepal were badly affected, and we were concerned it might happen here too, but that situation hasn't arisen here...."
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.
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.
Rescuers have evacuated 555 stranded tourists from Tibet after a devastating mudslide on the China-Nepal border, Chinese state media reported Friday.
State broadcaster CCTV said that 499 local residents, as well as 555 tourists, had been transported out of the disaster zone as of Friday morning. It did not specify the tourists' nationalities.
The US State Department on Thursday said 90 Americans were missing after the Nepal floods, adding no US deaths had been reported.
"We're currently tracking 90 Americans who may be impacted by the flood, currently unaccounted for," a spokesperson said.
The State Department said it could confirm three Americans had been rescued and it was not aware of any US deaths.
Chinese authorities have warned that an artificial lake formed by a massive mudslide on the China-Nepal border is at "high risk" of breaching, raising fears of another surge of floodwater downstream as rescue teams continue searching for more than 1,400 missing people.