A catastrophic glacial collapse in the Himalayas has left nearly 800 people dead and thousands missing across the Nepal-China border, triggering massive search-and-operation hurdles as rescuers battle adverse weather and rising water levels. According to disaster authorities, the disaster struck on Wednesday, sending a devastating torrent of ice, rock, and mud through mountain valleys and rivers.
Death Toll and Missing Persons Across the Himalayas
Official figures released by disaster management agencies indicate that the death toll has climbed significantly. According to Nepal’s disaster authority, 781 people have died and 2,502 remain missing in the country. Across the border on the Chinese side, local authorities in Gyirong County reported 16 deaths and 546 missing individuals. Furthermore, Beijing stated that 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries are unaccounted for in Tibet near a key border crossing with Nepal.
The Red Cross estimates that more than 90,000 people have been affected by the disaster. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi described the mudslide during a telephone call with his Nepalese counterpart as their “most severe cross-border disaster” in recent years, noting that rescue operations face unprecedented difficulty and complexity, as reported by state broadcaster CCTV.
Weather Obstacles and Dam Formation Risks
Rescue operations have faced repeated suspensions due to harsh weather conditions and secondary hazards. According to local police in Nepal, residents and rescue workers were forced to move to higher ground after water levels in the Trishuli River rose following fresh rainfall, heightening fears of further flooding.
Authorities closely monitored a natural lake formed across the border by the disaster, which began overflowing into Nepal’s Lhende Khola and Trishuli Rivers. While CCTV reported that the lake had been largely drained by Saturday evening, drones detected a new landslide 2.8 kilometers downstream that formed a fresh dam and pool of water.
Hydropower Tunnel Rescues and International Assistance
Rescue efforts in Nepal have concentrated heavily on five inundated hydropower projects. According to authorities at the Upper Trishuli complex, approximately 350 people could be trapped inside a flooded tunnel. Around 10,000 Nepali troops have been deployed alongside specialist teams from China and India.
Nepal’s military airlifted heavy machinery to the remote site on Sunday. Rescuers successfully reached the entrance of one tunnel and began clearing blocking debris. Dharam Raj Uprety, chief of Nepal’s national disaster management authority, described the operation as very tough because of heavy debris and the inability to use explosives.
Lok Bahadur Chhetri, a spokesperson for Nepal’s foreign ministry, stated that the country requires international assistance in specialized areas, including tunnel rescue operations, DNA testing, refrigerated storage for bodies, and forensic identification of decomposed remains.
Mass Burials Amid Public Health Concerns
Facing rapid decomposition of recovered bodies and the risk to public health, authorities in Nepal began mass burials for unidentified victims. In Chitwan district, roughly 200 kilometers from the disaster zone, officials dug hundreds of graves in a forest at Devghat.
Ganesh Aryal, chief district officer of Chitwan, explained that authorities were left with no other option due to public health risks. Officials buried 96 unidentified bodies on Saturday and planned additional burials as recovery operations continued.
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