More than 1,270 people have been killed and more than 4,700 remain missing after flash floods devastated communities in Nepal and Tibet, while rescue teams continue searching hydropower facilities and remote villages.
Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said on Thursday that 1,252 bodies had been recovered in Nepal and that 4,216 people remained missing there. Chinese authorities reported 21 deaths and 541 people missing in neighbouring Tibet.
Workers may still be trapped inside power facilities
Hundreds of workers are believed to be trapped inside hydropower plants near Nepal’s border with China, including some inside tunnels in Rasuwa district. Rescue crews are using bulldozers to remove large piles of mud blocking a tunnel entrance.
Sanjay Kc of the Nepalese army engineering department said rescuers still hoped to find survivors. He said the facility was a large power house and might not have been completely flooded.
Helicopters and zip lines reach isolated villages
Authorities are using helicopters and zip lines to reach people stranded in remote villages cut off by the destruction. The floods and mudflows left an estimated 2.2 million tonnes of debris, according to the United Nations Development Programme. For additional context, see “Flood disaster leaves more than 1,300 missing across Nepal and Tibet”.
In Kathmandu, forensic teams are working to identify recovered bodies. Identification has been made more difficult because many bodies are decomposing, although tattoos and jewellery may help establish identities. Families of missing people continue gathering daily for news.
Rebuilding plans include relocating communities
Prime Minister Balendra Shah said authorities would continue searching for survivors while beginning rehabilitation and rebuilding work. NDRRMA chief Dharma Raj Upreti said about 20,000 homes would need to be rebuilt, including 7,500 that were destroyed.
Upreti said officials were looking for safer areas for relocation rather than rebuilding in the same locations. As of Monday, more than 3,400 displaced people were staying at 27 sites in Nuwakot and Rasuwa, mostly in schools.
Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said the government had formally submitted a climate compensation claim letter to international partners, citing the historical responsibility of major greenhouse gas emitters toward vulnerable countries. A related part of this story is covered in “Nepal flood disaster leaves thousands missing as rescue access remains difficult”.
What happens next
Authorities said the search for survivors would continue alongside rehabilitation and rebuilding efforts, while officials identify safer locations for new settlements.
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