The death toll from devastating floods and landslides near the Nepal-China border has risen to 750, with more than 3,000 people still missing as rescue operations entered their fifth day on Sunday.
Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 734 people had died, while 2,498 remained unaccounted for.
In neighbouring Tibet, Chinese state media reported 16 deaths and 546 missing people, bringing the combined number of fatalities to 750 and those missing to 3,044.
The disaster struck on Wednesday when torrents of water, ice and debris swept through communities, roads and hydropower projects along rivers in the Himalayan region.
Nepalese authorities said the number of missing people had risen from 2,426 recorded in the previous update on Saturday evening.
Among those listed as missing are 589 foreign nationals, while 933 workers employed at hydropower projects along affected rivers are also unaccounted for.
Rescue teams have so far rescued or recovered 8,186 people in Nepal, including 227 foreign nationals.
In India, authorities have recovered seven bodies from rivers flowing from Nepal. The victims are believed to have been caught in the floods, although their deaths have not been included in Nepal’s official death toll.
Rescue operations have been hampered by continuing rainfall and rising river levels across affected areas.
At the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric project, the Nepali Army inserted a pipe into one of the tunnels late Saturday and began pumping air into the facility in an effort to reach workers believed to be trapped inside.
The trapped workers are part of the 933 hydropower employees reported missing from projects located along rivers affected by the floods and landslides.
India has deployed an 11-member specialised rescue team to support the operation, while China has sent a nine-member tunnel rescue team.
The rescue effort has also been complicated by the formation of another lake near the Nepal-Tibet border following a landslide on Saturday evening.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that a new barrier lake was forming about 2.8 kilometres from a previously drained lake that had posed a threat to rescue operations.
Authorities moved rescue personnel near the Gyirong border port to safer locations as China’s Ministry of Emergency Management convened experts to assess the new threat.
Tibet has remained largely inaccessible to foreign journalists, making independent verification of the scale of the destruction and casualties there difficult.
According to Chinese state media, 16 people have died and 546 remain missing in Tibet, including 261 foreign nationals.
The disaster has also raised concerns over the growing vulnerability of the Himalayan region to climate-related hazards.
The United States Geological Survey said the disaster was caused by a glacial collapse that sent a torrent of debris downstream. China’s state news agency, Xinhua, separately reported that experts concluded that a glacier on the southern slope of Lirung Peak in Nepal fractured, triggering an ice-rock avalanche.
UN climate chief Simon Stiell described the incident as a devastating reminder of the vulnerability of mountain environments.
The scale of destruction has left communities struggling to account for missing relatives and assess the damage to homes and infrastructure.
At an army base in Bidur, one of Nepal’s key rescue hubs, relatives of missing people gathered around lists of survivors posted on a wall.
One resident, Kalka Sharda, said she had travelled to the area searching for her son, a labourer at a hydropower plant whose name was not on the list of survivors.
“I have come here looking for my son,” she said, expressing frustration over the lack of information from authorities.
The disaster has also affected foreign nationals travelling or working in the region.
The parents of Australian woman Cara Severino, 24, said they were relieved after she was found safe and well on Friday.
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However, at least 42 Australians remain unaccounted for, many of them pilgrims who had travelled to Nepal to visit religious sites.
Nepal’s Foreign Minister, Shisir Khanal, warned that rebuilding communities devastated by the disaster could cost billions of dollars.
He said the government would conduct a comprehensive assessment of the losses while appealing to the international community for assistance.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies estimates that as many as 93,000 people in Nepal could be affected by the disaster.
Nepal has requested international assistance and specialised rescue equipment, including heavy-lift drones, DNA testing kits and body-freezer storage units.
Several countries and international organisations have already pledged financial and humanitarian support.
The United States and Canada have each pledged about $3.6 million in humanitarian assistance, while the United Kingdom has offered $6.8 million.
The United Nations has released $2.5 million in emergency funding, while the European Union has pledged $2.3 million.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has allocated more than $1 million and launched an emergency appeal for $31 million.
China’s President Xi Jinping also offered Beijing’s assistance following the disaster.
Malaysia announced plans to deploy its Malaysian Special Search and Rescue Team to assist with rescue operations and contribute $1 million towards recovery efforts and support for victims.
Authorities in Nepal and China continue to search for survivors and missing persons as rescue teams confront unstable terrain, rising waters and the threat posed by newly formed lakes.
With thousands still unaccounted for and large parts of the affected Himalayan region yet to be fully assessed, authorities warn that the human and economic cost of the disaster could rise further as rescue and recovery operations continue.