Catastrophic flooding and massive landslides across the Himalayas in Nepal and China have left more than 1,000 people dead, triggering intensive rescue operations involving search dogs, heavy machinery, and aircraft to reach thousands of still-missing individuals, according to disaster agencies and official updates.
Death Toll and Missing Persons Across Nepal and China
The disaster, which began after an August 26 glacial collapse, has severely impacted communities in both countries. According to Nepal’s disaster agency, the death toll in Nepal reached 987, with 3,916 people reported missing, including 583 foreigners, as rescue crews worked through unstable terrain. On the Chinese side, authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 people still missing, including 261 foreigners, in an update provided on Sunday. The disaster began when bedrock beneath a glacier in the Himalayan region failed, generating a rockfall powerful enough to register as a magnitude 5.2 seismic event. That collapse sent massive volumes of rock, ice, and meltwater rushing into valleys in Tibet and Nepal, rapidly swelling rivers and washing away homes, roads, and bridges.
Rescue Efforts at Hydropower Projects and Border Crossings
In Nepal, rescue teams raced to reach hundreds of workers trapped inside tunnels at flood-damaged hydropower projects. Nepalese authorities stated that about 900 workers are missing across 12 projects, with roughly 500 believed trapped inside tunnels. Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet, Nepal’s army spokesperson, noted that teams assisted by foreign experts deployed to several sites, navigating dark, debris-filled tunnels by wading through mud and climbing over rocks. Meanwhile, Chinese rescue crews scoured areas hit by mudslides near the destroyed Gyirong Port border crossing. According to the Chinese state-run Global Times newspaper, teams used heavy machinery to reopen a major highway leading to the port to facilitate the delivery of equipment, personnel, and supplies.
Helicopter Operations and Survivor Relief in Isolated Regions
Nepalese authorities reported that at least 11,814 people have been rescued so far. Emergency crews deployed helicopters and other aircraft to reach stranded communities cut off by destroyed roads and bridges. Bimal Sharma, a helicopter pilot flying rescue missions over the disaster zone, described extreme devastation in Timure, a border town close to Tibet. “It felt like I was flying over an entirely different landscape,” Sharma said, adding that he could see the deep emotional impact of the disaster in the eyes of survivors.
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