Nepal, Tibet Flood Death Toll Surpasses 750 as 3,044 Remain Missing

Nepal-Tibet Flood Death Toll Surpasses 750, More Than 3,000 Missing

Kathmandu: The death toll from devastating floods in Nepal and China’s Tibet Region has risen to more than 750, while 3,044 people remain missing, authorities reported today.

Nepali officials said rescue operations have been repeatedly suspended due to adverse weather conditions and concerns over a glacial lake that has formed along the Nepal-China border.

The lake emerged following a landslide triggered by a glacier collapse last Wednesday, raising fears that further flooding could occur as its waters flow into rivers in Nepal.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies estimated that more than 90,000 people have been affected by the disaster. Chinese authorities attributed the disaster to the effects of climate change.

China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Nepali counterpart during a telephone conversation that the landslide represented one of the most severe transboundary disasters in recent years, with rescue efforts facing unprecedented difficulty and complexity.

In Nepal, rescue teams are focusing on hundreds of people believed to be trapped inside hydropower plant tunnels after torrents of ice, rocks, mud and debris swept through Himalayan river valleys.

Nepal’s Disaster Management Authority said the death toll in the country had reached 734, with 2,498 people still missing, while 7,514 people had been rescued.

In China’s Tibet Region, officials said 16 people had died in Gyirong County as of yesterday, while 546 people remained unaccounted for.