Nepal-Tibet floods: 392 dead, 1,468 missing; 290 Indians remain unreachable

The death toll from devastating flash floods triggered by a glacial collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border rose to 392 on Thursday, with 1,468 people reported missing across Nepal and Tibet as rescuers raced to reach isolated communities and a fresh flood threat loomed downstream.

Of the 392 dead, 389 were killed in Nepal and three in neighbouring Tibet, officials said.

Nepal Police said 796 people, including 50 foreigners, had been rescued from the affected areas by helicopters, while another 796 had been evacuated by land. The authorities did not immediately disclose the nationalities of the foreigners.

The disaster has also triggered an urgent effort by India to locate its nationals. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said 290 Indian nationals remain uncontactable, while 84 Indians have so far been rescued.

Those rescued include 63 workers employed at the under-construction Trishuli-I run-of-river hydroelectric project and 21 people from Tamil Nadu. Around 200 Indians on the Tibet side have also sought assistance for evacuation.

External affairs minister S. Jaishankar said India was making urgent efforts to ascertain the whereabouts and well-being of its nationals and was coordinating with Nepalese authorities, other ministries, state governments, tour operators and other agencies.

The disaster struck on Wednesday after an ice-rock avalanche triggered by a glacial collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border sent a torrent of water, mud, rocks and debris through central Nepal. The surge tore through settlements, swept away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges and damaged hydropower infrastructure.

Authorities warned that the danger was far from over.

A new barrier lake has formed near the source of the Bhote Koshi river system, raising fears that a breach could unleash another surge downstream.

Chinese authorities estimated that about 2 million cubic metres of water had accumulated in the lake by Thursday morning, with another 3 million cubic metres potentially flowing into it over the next three days.

The lake formed near the confluence of the Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers, which originate in Tibet and flow into Nepal as part of the Bhote Koshi system.

Nepal's Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said it had received information from Chinese authorities about the lake and warned of a continuing risk of flooding along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers. It urged residents to stay away from riverbanks and remain in safe locations, while advising travellers, security personnel and rescue teams to stay alert.

Chinese authorities are monitoring the lake, conducting flood simulations and assessing the risk of a breach. A Chinese rescue team equipped with communications and detection equipment has reached Gyirong to assess the upstream blockage.

Nepal has reported 910 people missing, while officials in Tibet have reported another 558 missing.

Rescue teams have been searching river corridors, isolated settlements and downstream areas, many of which remain buried under thick layers of mud and debris.

Nepalese security personnel have evacuated more than 800 people from affected districts, with helicopters, drones and ground teams continuing operations.

At least 44 Nepali Army personnel, 28 Nepal Police personnel and 13 Armed Police Force personnel are among those reported missing. Around 160 people working at hydropower projects and customs offices are also unaccounted for.

Officials have recovered 137 bodies from Chitwan, the highest number among the affected districts. Bodies have also been recovered from Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha, Tanahun and Nawalparasi.

Hospitals have become gathering points for desperate families searching for missing relatives. At Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu, authorities displayed lists and photographs of people brought to the facility, while desks were set up to collect information about those still missing.

Similar scenes unfolded at Bharatpur Hospital in Chitwan, where relatives searched for loved ones as authorities struggled with the rising number of bodies and limited mortuary space.

Twenty-seven foreign tourists stranded in Rasuwa were also rescued on Thursday, including 11 Indians, four South Koreans, two Italians and two US citizens. The Nepal Army airlifted them to Kathmandu.

Most of the affected Indian tourists were travelling towards Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet or Gosainkunda in Nepal's Bagmati Province.

India has meanwhile stepped up relief assistance to Nepal. After sending 10 tonnes of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief material on Wednesday, it dispatched another 37.5 tonnes of relief supplies, medicines and food packets on Thursday in a military transport aircraft, taking the total assistance sent to 47.5 tonnes.

The floods first devastated Rasuwa district, around 160 km from Kathmandu, after the ice-rock avalanche and debris flow near the border. Timure and Rasuwagadhi were among the worst-hit settlements before the torrent surged downstream through the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river system.

Nepal's Department of Roads said the entire 42-km road between Betrawati and Rasuwagadhi was damaged at multiple points, with several concrete bridges washed away.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said the floods damaged 35 motorable bridges, 45 suspension bridges and around 40 km of black-topped roads.

The Trishuli and Devighat hydropower projects and other power infrastructure were also damaged.

Authorities were working to reopen the Galchhi-Baireni road in Dhading, a key route linking Kathmandu with other parts of Nepal and an important transit corridor for regional traffic and disaster-response operations.

A preliminary assessment by Nepalese authorities and a revised analysis by the US Geological Survey found that the disaster was triggered by a glacial collapse and debris flow, not an earthquake.

The USGS said analysis of long-period seismic waves showed that the event initially reported as a magnitude-4.4 earthquake was generated by the glacial collapse and debris flow.

Nepal's disaster management authority said a debris-laden flood began in the Lhende River following an ice-rock landslide near the Nepal-China border, about 20 km northeast of Rasuwagadhi. The flood then entered the Trishuli river after passing through Timure.

Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah visited Bidur Municipality in Nuwakot on Thursday to inspect flood-hit areas.

In Tibet, Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited flood-hit Gyirong Township to oversee rescue and relief operations. Chinese state media said the People's Liberation Army's Western Theatre Command had also sent a team to coordinate military rescue efforts.

Images from the disaster zone showed buildings buried in mud, vehicles swept away, roads ripped apart and bridges reduced to wreckage. Large stretches of riverbank settlements in Rasuwa and Nuwakot were covered by mud, rocks and debris.

The full extent of the destruction remains unclear, with rescuers still unable to reach several areas because of damaged roads, destroyed bridges, deep debris and the continuing threat of another flood surge.

Nepal foreign minister Shisir Khanal also held telephone conversations with senior officials in the US, UK and several other countries, who expressed solidarity with Nepal and offered support for search-and-rescue operations.

With PTI inputs