Death toll from Nepal-China floods rises to 633, nearly 3,000 missing

 The death toll from flash floods along the Nepal-China
border has risen to 633, with nearly 3,000 people still missing.

 

The floods swept through communities along the Himalayan
border on Wednesday after a glacier collapse triggered a surge of water, mud
and debris.

Videos from the affected areas showed torrents of muddy
water and debris sweeping through settlements, washing away bridges, vehicles
and buildings.

Several hydropower projects and other infrastructure were
also damaged.

According to the Associated Press, rescue teams resumed
operations in Nepal’s Nuwakot district on Saturday after bad weather
temporarily disrupted helicopter operations.

More than 3,700 people have so far been rescued in Nepal,
with helicopters evacuating survivors and delivering relief supplies to
affected communities.

People look at photographs of the missing and dead following flash floods in Nepal, outside a hospital in Kathmandu on August 29, 2026. Rescuers in Nepal and China were still battling August 29 to locate thousands of people missing days after a deadly, tsunami-like wall of water and debris swept through the Himalayan region, engulfing villages. (Photo by PRAKASH MATHEMA / AFP)

Raja Ram Basnet, Nepali army spokesperson, was quoted as
saying that rescuers were using ropes and baskets to reach those trapped, but
the operation had been hampered by between 1.2 and 1.5 metres of mud and
limited helicopter landing areas.

Chinese state media reported that 554 people remained
missing on the Chinese side, including foreign nationals who were in the area
for work, trekking or on pilgrimage.

Authorities have also warned of the risk of further flooding
from a lake formed in the Himalayas after the glacier collapse.

On its Facebook page, where updates are posted, Nepal’s
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority called for support as
the rescue operation intensifies.

“Interested philanthropic bodies, development partners,
organisations, civil society, private sector, etc, can provide search, rescue
and relief materials,” the statement reads.

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