KATHMANDU, Nepal: Nepal-Tibet floods have killed at least 633 people and left nearly 3,000 missing after catastrophic flooding struck the Himalayan border region, officials said Saturday.
Nepal reported 626 deaths and 2,426 people missing. Across the border in China’s Tibet region, authorities reported seven deaths and 554 people missing at Gyirong Port.
The disaster began at about 8:40 a.m. Nepal time on August 26, or 7:55 a.m. PKT. Satellite analysis indicated that collapsing bedrock and glacier ice sent rock, mud and debris into river systems below.
Rescue teams continued searching Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts despite thick mud, destroyed roads and poor weather. Nepal temporarily suspended some operations on Saturday due to rain and fog, while helicopter missions later resumed in parts of Nuwakot.
More than 100 people are believed to be trapped in a mud-filled tunnel at the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project. Nepal has requested foreign technical assistance for tunnel rescues, body identification, DNA testing and the restoration of damaged transport and communications.
Read: Nepal Flash Flood Kills 389, Nearly 1,000 Still Missing
Meanwhile, Chinese authorities said two villagers had been rescued at Gyirong Port. More than 2,100 rescuers and specialists were deployed, while officials continued monitoring a barrier lake for possible secondary flooding.
The threat from one overflowing lake had eased by Saturday as its surface area shrank. However, officials said flood risks would remain until unstable upstream lakes had fully drained.
