KATHMANDU: The Nepal-China glacier collapse has killed at least 750 people and left 3,044 missing as rescuers continue searching flood-hit Himalayan communities on both sides of the border.
Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority reported 734 deaths and 2,498 missing in its Sunday morning update. Meanwhile, Chinese authorities confirmed 16 deaths and 546 missing in Tibet’s Gyirong County.
The disaster struck Nepal’s Rasuwa region at about 8:40 a.m. local time on August 26, or 7:55 a.m. PKT. Nepal’s Home Ministry said a massive flood then swept through the Bhotekoshi river system, affecting Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and Gorkha districts.
Chinese experts said a glacier on the southern slope of Lirung Peak in Nepal fractured at about 10:52 a.m. Beijing time. The collapse triggered an ice-and-rock avalanche that sent debris through the border region, according to Xinhua.
Rescue teams are focusing heavily on hydropower sites in Nepal. Authorities say 933 workers remain missing at 11 projects, while more than 100 people may still be trapped inside tunnels.
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However, heavy rain and rising river levels have repeatedly disrupted operations. Officials also remain alert to new barrier lakes and landslide dams that could unleash additional flooding.
Read: Nepal Flash Flood Kills 389, Nearly 1,000 Still Missing
China said 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries remain missing on the Tibetan side. They include 104 Nepalis, 49 Indians, 33 Latvians, 18 Americans and 15 British citizens.
The Red Cross estimates that more than 90,000 people have been affected. Meanwhile, Nepal has requested specialist international support for tunnel rescue, DNA testing and forensic identification as authorities deal with hundreds of recovered bodies.
