Hundreds dead and thousands missing after Nepal‑Tibet floods spark massive rescue effort
A glacial collapse triggered flash floods that swept through the Nepal‑China border, killing hundreds and trapping workers in hydropower tunnels.
Flash floods and landslides triggered by a glacial collapse on the Nepal‑Tibet border have killed at least 633 people and left almost 3,000 still missing, according to authorities in both countries.
Rescue teams race against time
Nepal Army engineers have broken into a flooded hydropower tunnel at the Trishuli 3A site in Rasuwa, pumping air and lowering a camera in hopes of locating more than 100 workers still inside. The effort follows the rescue of 350 people under "extremely risky" conditions.
"The government has been continuing efforts... to rescue people trapped inside the tunnel of the Trishuli 3A Hydropower Project in Rasuwa," the office of Nepal's prime minister said.
Chinese experts from the Tibet region arrived by helicopter at the request of the Nepalese government, bringing technical assistance for the tunnel operation.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority reports that 933 hydropower workers are among the missing, alongside trekkers and pilgrims heading to Tibet's sacred Mount Kailash.
Climate change and reconstruction
Shisir Khanal, Nepal's foreign minister, warned that melting glaciers in the Himalayas are amplifying flood risks, and said China has agreed to share real‑time hydrological data. Wang Yi, China's foreign minister, confirmed that satellite imagery and early‑warning information have been provided to Nepal.
The US Geological Survey identified the Wednesday disaster as a glacial collapse that unleashed a torrent of debris, a phenomenon linked to accelerating glacier melt worldwide.
Rebuilding the devastated valleys could cost "billions of dollars", according to Khanal, who urged the international community for financial support and loss‑and‑damage research.
What lies ahead
With the lake formed by the collapse now shrinking, Chinese authorities say the immediate risk of a sudden burst has lessened, but heavy rain forecasts keep the region on high alert. Rescue helicopters continue to ferry survivors to hospitals in Kathmandu, while families gather at relief camps awaiting news of loved ones.
India has announced heightened glacier monitoring along its Himalayan frontier, signalling a broader regional response to the growing threat of climate‑driven disasters.
As the death toll climbs and the missing count rises, the focus will shift from emergency relief to long‑term reconstruction, tighter safety standards for hydropower projects, and deeper cooperation on climate data sharing across the Himalayas.
