Nepal flood death toll rises to 987 as search for missing intensifies

The death toll from the devastating flash floods in Nepal rose to 987 on Tuesday, as security forces recovered more bodies from several parts of the country and intensified search and rescue operations, officials said.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said 3,916 people, including 583 foreigners, remained unaccounted for as rescue teams continued to comb through flood-ravaged districts.

The floods have affected eight districts, with the highest number of fatalities reported in Chitwan, where 321 bodies have been recovered. Nawalparasi East recorded 216 deaths, followed by Nawalparasi West with 170 and Nuwakot with 95. Authorities also reported 65 deaths in Gorkha, 55 in Dhading, 38 in Tanahun and 27 in Rasuwa.

Of the 279 people injured in the disaster, 168 have been discharged from hospitals following treatment, according to the NDRRMA.

The flooding has caused extensive destruction across Nepal’s mountainous hydropower belt, where rescuers are searching damaged project sites and tunnels for workers who remain missing.

The Independent Power Producers’ Association Nepal (IPPAN) said 894 people working at 11 hydropower projects along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river corridors remained out of contact.

The Nepali Army has so far rescued 279 people from affected hydropower projects. At the 216MW Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project, 254 people were rescued, while another nine were brought to safety from the 5MW Mailung Khola project, Prime Minister Balendra Shah said.

However, IPPAN said 573 people associated with Upper Trishuli-1 remained unaccounted for. Search operations inside the project’s tunnels are continuing with the participation of Nepali, South Korean and Chinese teams.

At the 111MW Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project in Rasuwa, two people were rescued, but a joint search by Nepali and Chinese military teams found no one inside the tunnel. Authorities had feared workers could be trapped deep underground after the Bhote Koshi River surged through the area.

Search and rescue teams are also working at the Langtang Khola and Chilime hydropower projects in Rasuwa, where Nepali and Indian personnel are trying to clear tunnel entrances blocked by flood debris.

At the 60MW Upper Trishuli-3A project in Nuwakot, a 90-member team comprising personnel from the Nepali Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police is searching inside tunnels with assistance from the Nepal Electricity Authority.

Two people were rescued from the 37MW Upper Trishuli-3B project, where the Army has deployed additional personnel. Three others were rescued from the Trishuli Hydropower Project, while four each were brought to safety from a solar power facility and the Devighat Hydropower Project.

The scale of the disaster has prompted an international rescue effort. At the request of the Nepali government, Indian and Chinese tunnel specialists have joined local teams to help reach people feared trapped underground.

With roads, bridges and settlements damaged or swept away, rescue operations remain difficult. Security forces are continuing to search remote areas and damaged infrastructure, while families across the country wait anxiously for news of relatives still missing.

With agency inputs