A Chinese rescue team reached the all-but-obliterated Gyirong border crossing complex for the first time yesterday, finding “nothing but ruins.”
More than 550 remain unaccounted for in Tibet’s Gyirong County after Wednesday’s massive flash flood, including 260 foreigners, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
A rappelling rescue team descended into the once-bustling border-crossing area from wooded mountain slopes, the state broadcaster China Central Television said.
“As far as I can see, it’s nothing but debris,” rescue official Zou Mingqi told state media. The area where travellers went through border control to enter or leave China has been flattened to a muddy area, according to satellite images.
Nepal asks for foreign help with tunnel rescue, identifying and storing bodies
We’re just learning that Nepal’s foreign minister has said the country needs foreign help for a tunnel rescue and for identifying and storing bodies .
The country needs foreign help in specialised and technical areas in which it does not have expertise but not in search and rescue, foreign minister Shisir Khanal told Reuters late on Friday.
“We have already made requests for such specialised services and technical assistance in areas where we don’t have enough expertise and technical knowhow,” Khanal said.
The Nepalese army has undertaken a dangerous and difficult rescue operation of people trapped in a tunnel of a hydropower project in the flood-hit district of Rasuwa. Rescuers are seen crawling on thick mud towards the trapped people and carrying them out to safety.
Khanal said Nepal has also asked India and China for bailey bridges – portable, prefabricated truss bridges made of standardised panels that can be assembled quickly – to reopen early transport and communication in the disaster-hit area where about two dozen bridges have been destroyed.
Death toll now stands at 579 in Nepal, seven in Tibet
Nepal’s official death toll from Wednesday’s flash flood now stands at 579 people, while China says seven people have died in Tibet , the state Xinhua news agency reported early Saturday.
Chinese authorities said also they had evacuated 555 stranded tourists and 499 Chinese residents from Tibet.
In India, authorities said they had recovered seven bodies from rivers flowing from Nepal, believed to be flood victims.
Scores of Hindu devotees from across the world are among those missing on the border, as many were on a pilgrimage to Tibet’s Mount Kailash.
Sivaranjani Muthunathan was travelling by bus with 56 others to the Chinese border when they became stuck in what they thought was a traffic jam.
“Then there was fog, smoke, something that seemed to suddenly engulf us,” Muthunathan, 46, told Agence France-Presse on Friday, showing a phone video she recorded of a torrent surging towards her. Around them, vehicles were swept away or buried under mud.
The number of Australians who were reported missing in the catastrophic Nepal flooding disaster has risen to 41 , with one family celebrating after an unaccounted-for woman made contact with them yesterday.
It means three additional Australians were confirmed missing overnight – up from 38 who remained unaccounted for on Friday evening.
Other countries are regularly updating tallies for citizens missing or accounted for. Ninety US citizens are missing , according to the state department while three have been rescued. Tourism board figures released by Nepal on Friday showed 98 people from India were missing, but 85 others were rescued .
The Australian government’s Department of Foreign Affairs has been urgently working with local authorities to contact Cara Severino, 25, who became the first Australian reported missing who has been confirmed safe.
If you are just joining us, here’s the latest information coming out Nepal and elsewhere about the Nepal-Tibet calamity. It is 6.18am in Nepal on Saturday.
At least 2,478 people are missing after the catastrophic flash flood hit the China-Nepal border on Wednesday . Nepal’s disaster agency on Friday said 1,924 people were missing on its side of the border, while China’s Xinhua news agency early today reported the total number of missing in Tibet is now 554, with seven people confirmed dead.
More than 3,700 people have been rescued in Nepal so far but at least 93,000 people are estimated to have been affected by the disaster, according to the Red Cross.
At least 777 foreigners are missing , with Nepal’s disaster agency on Friday reporting 517 foreigners unaccounted for – which could include tourists and foreign workers – and Chinese officials putting the number of foreigners missing at 260.
Nepal on Friday reversed an earlier decision and said it would allow foreign teams and experts to help with rescue efforts , apparently under pressure from other countries, especially those whose citizens are unaccounted for, a leading English-language newspaper, the Kathmandu Post, reported.
The number of Australians who were reported missing has risen to 41 , according to the Australian government, while one family celebrated after an unaccounted-for woman made contact with them yesterday.
Three American citizens have been rescued but at least 90 Americans are unaccounted for , the US state department told USA Today. It said it was not aware of any US citizen deaths so far.
Nepal is continuing to monitor two lakes upstream of the flood zone where hundreds died on Wednesday , an official with Nepal’s disaster management authority said. Flood risks will remain until the two lakes have fully drained, the official added, as one of the two lakes began overflowing on Friday.
Nepal’s disaster authority raised sharply the number of missing to 1,924 on Friday, two days after devastating floods that killed at least 579 in the country. The number of missing includes 517 foreigners, as well as 933 workers on hydropower projects on the rivers where a wall of water powered down on Wednesday morning, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority. The AP is reporting a higher figure, with almost 2,500 are missing and nearly 600 people killed.
Authorities in Nepal and China issued warnings about the risk of a second wave of flooding. Chinese authorities said an artificial lake had formed after a mudslide hit the Tibet-Nepal border, which risked “sending flood waters downstream”, according to state media. Nepal’s disaster authority said a lake that had formed by debris blocking a river at the site was also rising and at risk of bursting. Amid the mounting fears over a second wave of flooding, families are rushing to Nepal to search for the 33 British nationals who are still missing.
Rescuers were forced to suspend their search for survivors, while residents who had returned to Rasuwa were told to evacuate their homes , with many seen fleeing up the hillsides to escape a possible surge in the river.
The Red Cross has said at least 93,000 people may have been affected by the disaster, triggering a huge rescue operation that is being hampered by fears of new flooding. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the world’s largest humanitarian network, said it feared the death toll would continue to rise as some of the hardest-hit areas remained inaccessible after roads and bridges were destroyed by the torrents.
The European Union has promised €2m ($2.3m) in aid for Nepal. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X that the “immediate humanitarian aid” would help “deliver life-saving assistance to families and communities hit hardest.”
Nepal has said it does not yet need foreign assistance as the search and rescue operation – complicated by the destruction of bridges and roads across the mountainous region – continues. “The offer for help is natural,” Lok Bahadur Chhetri, a spokesperson for Nepal’s foreign ministry, said on Friday. “Our security agencies are doing the search and rescue operation. For now we don’t require such help.”
Rescue teams have reported finding bodies hundreds of miles downstream from the disaster zone in the Chitwan district of Nepal, near the Tibetan border. Dozens of injured people were transported to Kathmandu for advanced medical care and more than 100 people were rescued by Nepali army personnel in helicopters.
The number of missing individuals in the deadly flash flood has risen past 2,400 , according to a count by AFP.
Nepal’s disaster authority added 933 hydropower workers to a missing persons list already including trekkers and pilgrims to Tibet’s sacred Mount Kailash, AFP reported.
The news agency also reported that emergency teams have recovered 586 bodies so far – with some of the dead swept downstream as far away as India.
Our most recent reporting indicates that 1,924 individuals are missing and at least 579 were killed, as of Friday, two days after the devastating floods.
Chinese control of information hampers assessment of Tibet flood damage
As the scale of the devastation caused by the flash floods in Nepal and Tibet unfolds, the picture is emerging far more quickly in Nepal than in China , where strict controls on the flow of information from one of its most sensitive regions are hampering the public’s understanding of events.
The floods devastated villages along the Himalayan border region that straddles Nepal and the Chinese region of Tibet. On Friday, the official death toll in Nepal rose to 538 people, while in China it was just five, despite the fact that the villages around the Gyirong border crossing are home to several thousand people.
“ Everything about Tibet is seen through the national security prism. And therefore nobody is going to say anything or report anything that has not been cleared from the very top ,” said Steve Tsang, the director of the China Institute at Soas University of London.
For anyone on the ground, “you can’t report a higher figure of deaths, even if you have seen more bodies yourself, until the official statement says that the figure has gone up”.
Tibet, brought under Chinese control in the 1950s, is the most sensitive and tightly controlled region in the country. Sporadic protests, including self-immolations, by Tibetans calling for more autonomy and religious freedom have been cracked down on by the authorities.
International journalists cannot visit Tibet apart from on tightly choreographed government tours. Many Tibetans are not allowed passports and have very limited contact with the outside world. Tibetans can be punished for speaking to journalists. Human rights groups have for years criticised Beijing’s policies on Tibetan language and culture, which activists say are under attack.
As the Chinese government’s tight controls on information limit international coverage of its relief efforts, it continues to stress that the disaster is a national priority.
China’s leader, Xi Jinping , chaired a meeting on Friday to direct rescue work, according to state media, in which he called on the authorities to “make every effort to search for missing people from China and abroad”.
He also dispatched his number two, premier Li Qiang , to visit the affected area. According to the state-run Xinhua news agency, Li “emphasised that General Secretary Xi Jinping is deeply concerned about the people in the disaster-stricken areas”.
Related: Chinese control of information hampers assessment of Tibet flood damage
'Now I have nothing left to live for,' survivors grieve relatives and homes swept away in Nepal flooding
Hannah Ellis-Petersen and Gaurav Pokharel in Bidur, Nepal.
Sangke Dolma Tamang, 61, had been cheerily cooking snacks in her village of Mailung in the Rasuwa district when the floods came without warning. The whole family ran uphill for safety, but as she grabbed for her husband, he slipped from her grip and was washed into the dark, fast-moving waters.
“ Others tried to pull him to safety, but the flood swept him away ,” she said, tears rolling down her weathered cheeks. There was, she said, nothing left of her village now. She had spent a night sheltering on higher ground, until an army helicopter arrived and brought to her safety at the barracks. Her son too was missing since the disaster, and she waited anxiously for any news.
“ Now I have nothing left to live for ,” said Tamang. “ The whole house is gone. We couldn’t salvage anything .”
As a melting glacier high up in the Himalayas between Tibet and Nepal splintered and crashed into the valley below, it set off a deadly cascade of water, mud and debris down the Bhote Koshi River. The Nepali village homes that lined the riverbank and clung to the mountainside stood little chance.
Two days after the disaster, at least 579 people have been confirmed dead and more than 1,900 are still missing, the numbers rising by the day. Many in Nepal fear that the true scale of the disaster has yet to emerge, as the worst-hit areas in districts such as Rusawa are only accessible by helicopter. The situation remains even more opaque in Tibet, which is under tight Chinese media control. Though it was at the centre of the disaster, Chinese authorities insist only five people there have died.
In the army barracks in the town of Bidur, where Nepal’s rescue efforts were being coordinated, helicopters carrying those rescued from flooded areas continued to arrive every few minutes, while others carrying vital supplies of food and clean water flew out and high up into the mountains.
On Friday morning, ground rescue efforts were halted over fears that the river levels were rising once again. But the Nepali army spokesperson, Brig Gen Raja Ram Basnet , said the helicopter rescues would continue for as long as people were missing. He accepted that the death toll was hard to calculate. “ Right now, our focus is mostly on finding the living ,” he said.
Among those recently brought to safety was 60-year-old Murali Maiya Tamang, who had been in Rusawa and was found hanging in a tree. As the flash floods came down the valley, she had watched as her house was washed clean away. She convulsed with tears as she waited desperately for news of her son, who was in their village when the floods struck and has been missing since.
“ My husband had already died in Nepal’s 2015 earthquake ,” she said. “ Now this flood has taken away the only son I had left. I am all alone now. What is the point of living now? ”
You can read the full piece, with photographs and video by Ahmer Khan , here:
Related: ‘The flood took everything I have’: survivors grieve for relatives and homes swept away in Nepal
Here are some images coming through on the news wires of residents salvaging their belongings after the deadly flash flooding in Nepal.
Footage shows glacier collapse that led to deadly flooding in Nepal – video
This drone video shared with the Guardian shows the moment of glacier collapse that led to the devastating flash flooding in Nepal. The numbers of people missing, killed or injured are feared to continue to rise as rescue efforts are under way.
The UK has deployed a rapid response team of specially trained volunteers to Nepal to help with the disaster there.
The foreign secretary Ed Miliband said: “The scenes from Nepal are devastating, and our thoughts remain with everyone affected.
“The safety and welfare of British nationals is our top priority. That is why we are deploying a Rapid Deployment Team to Nepal to provide additional support on the ground for British nationals and their families at what is an incredibly difficult time.
“Our staff are working closely with the Nepali authorities, emergency responders and our embassy in Kathmandu to ensure those affected can access the assistance and information they need.
“We will continue to do everything we can to support British nationals impacted by this tragedy.”
British nationals in Nepal who require consular assistance should contact the British Embassy in Kathmandu or call the FCDO on +44 (0)20 7008 5000.
The death toll has risen to seven and 554 remain missing after the mudslide at a border port in China’s Xizang region, according to local reports.
Zoyal Ghale, who ran into a forest and climbed trees to escape Nepal’s deadly floods, was reunited with his mother after she had begun to fear he and his brother had both perished in their school.
A day earlier, 8-year-old Ghale had been airlifted alone from the devastated northern district of Rasuwa with a broken leg and cuts on his face, while his mother, Matti Maya Tamang, 28, moved from one shelter and collection point to another looking for her two missing children.
“At the fourth place too, my children’s names were not on the list, and they were not there,” Tamang told Reuters. “I had come to accept that both my children were no more. All I could do was weep. I couldn’t hold myself together at all.“
Australians are searching for loved ones missing in floods along the Nepal-Tibet border as aid groups warn of a looming humanitarian disaster.
Several Australians with family in the affected region have flown to assist the search for survivors, combing towns impacted by debris and torrents of mud.
Among them is the husband of NSW mother-of-two Reshma Patel, who was due to touch down in Kathmandu on Friday.
Like the majority of the 38 Australians confirmed missing, Patel was making a pilgrimage with a tour group when the floods began.
Her last known location was an immigration office along the Nepal-Tibet border, which was captured on viral footage being inundated by floodwaters.
“She was inside the big building, which you can see in all the videos that had been hit hard by the floods at the border,” family friend Chin Valsan told AAP.
“After that, there is no contact whatsoever.”
‘Erased before their eyes’: desperate rescue efforts continue after Nepal-Tibet floods - podcast
Rescue efforts are continuing in Nepal and Tibet after flash floods that have killed hundreds and left many more missing.
But fears that a lake formed by the landslide could overflow and cause fresh flooding, along with difficulty accessing disaster-hit areas, are hindering rescue and recovery missions.
In today’s edition of The Latest podcast, Lucy Hough speaks with the Guardian’s south Asia correspondent Hannah Ellis-Petersen , who is in Nepal, about the situation on the ground.
Canada has announced CAN$5 million (£2.65m) in aid for the Nepal flood relief, the AFP news agency reported.
Nepal’s disaster authority raised sharply the number of missing to 1,924 on Friday, two days after devastating floods that killed at least 579 in the country. The number of missing includes 517 foreigners, as well as 933 workers on hydropower projects on the rivers where a wall of water powered down on Wednesday morning, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.
The Red Cross has said at least 93,000 people may have been affected by Wednesday’s flash floods on the Nepal-Tibet border, triggering a huge rescue operation that is being hampered by fears of new flooding. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the world’s largest humanitarian network, said it feared the death toll would continue to rise as some of the hardest-hit areas remained inaccessible after roads and bridges were destroyed by the torrents.
Rescue teams have reported finding bodies hundreds of miles downstream from the disaster zone in the Chitwan district of Nepal, near the Indian border. Dozens of injured people were transported to Kathmandu for advanced medical care and more than 100 people were rescued by Nepali army personnel in helicopters.
Families are rushing to Nepal to search for the 33 British nationals who are still missing, as fears mount over the risk of a second wave of flooding in the region. The catastrophic flash floods that hit Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday , thundering down valleys and sweeping away entire villages.
A family from Surrey, including a 13-year-old girl, are thought to be among the missing Britons in Nepal , PA Media reports. The news agency named the family as Santosh Sahu, 46, who was the chief executive of UK pharmaceutical technology company Charac, his wife, Surabhi Manmath Padhy, 44, and their children, Spandan Sahu, 18, and Syna Kumari Sahu, 13.
Rescue efforts in Bidur, the capital of the Nuwakot district in Bagmati province, Nepal, were disrupted on Friday morning as the Trishuli River began to rise again after the lake near the border overflowed. Rescue workers were moved from the area and people who had tried to return to what remained of their homes were told to evacuate again immediately.
The European Union has promised €2m ($2.3m) in aid for Nepal after devastating floods on the country’s border with Tibet swept away entire villages, killing hundreds of people. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X that the “immediate humanitarian aid” would help “deliver life-saving assistance to families and communities hit hardest.”
Nepal has said it does not yet need foreign assistance as the search and rescue operation – complicated by the destruction of bridges and roads across the mountainous region – continues. “The offer for help is natural,” Lok Bahadur Chhetri, a spokesperson for Nepal’s foreign ministry, said on Friday. “Our security agencies are doing the search and rescue operation. For now we don’t require such help.”
Authorities in Nepal and China issued warnings about the risk of a second wave of flooding. Chinese authorities said an artificial lake had formed after a mudslide hit the Tibet-Nepal border, which risked “sending flood waters downstream”, according to state media. Nepal’s disaster authority said a lake that had formed by debris blocking a river at the site was also rising and at risk of bursting.
In a video on YouTube, Jaggi Vasudev, known as Sadhguru, a spiritual leader who founded the nonprofit Isha Foundation, told followers at the foundation’s camp at Saga in Tibet , China, that 80 members of an Isha group returning from Kailash Mansarovar, a high-altitude site in Tibet revered by Hindus and Buddhists, were missing, including nine British people. Among them is Neetu Goyal Tiwari, 51. Her brother Naresh Goyal told the BBC that completing the pilgrimage was “her dream”.
Rescuers were forced to suspend their search for survivors, while residents who had returned to Rasuwa were told to evacuate their homes , with many seen fleeing up the hillsides to escape a possible surge in the river.
Rescue efforts are continuing in Nepal and Tibet after flash floods that have killed hundreds and left many more missing.
But fears that a lake formed by the landslide could overflow and cause fresh flooding, along with difficulty accessing disaster-hit areas, are hindering rescue and recovery missions.
Lucy Hough speaks with south Asia correspondent Hannah Ellis-Petersen, who is in Nepal, about the situation on the ground …
At least 93,000 ‘in great need’ after Nepal-Tibet flash floods, says Red Cross
The Red Cross has said at least 93,000 people may have been affected by Wednesday’s flash floods on the Nepal-Tibet border, which have killed more than 540 people, left another 1,500 missing, and triggered a huge rescue operation that is being hampered by fears of new flooding.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the world’s largest humanitarian network, said it feared the death toll would continue to rise as some of the hardest-hit areas remained inaccessible after roads and bridges were destroyed by the torrents.
“The trauma of this event is enormous,” David Fisher, the IFRC head of delegation for Nepal , said on Friday.
“Thousands of homes have been destroyed or suffered significant damage. We believe that at least 93,000 people have been affected and are in great need. The death toll is very high and unfortunately likely to continue to rise.”
Related: At least 93,000 ‘in great need’ after Nepal-Tibet flash floods, says Red Cross
Number of missing in Nepal after flood rises to 1,924, disaster authority confirms
Nepal’s disaster authority raised sharply the number of missing to 1,924 on Friday, two days after devastating floods that killed at least 579 in the country.
The number of missing includes 517 foreigners, as well as 933 workers on hydropower projects on the rivers where a wall of water powered down on Wednesday morning, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.
South Asia correspondent Hannah Ellis‑Petersen is on the ground in Bidur, one of the most devastated towns in Nepal, after the deadly flash floods that struck on Wednesday morning.
Most homes were completely washed away when a tide of mud, rocks and debris flooded down the river valley.
Those who survived described clinging on to buildings and trees as the water rushed over them.
Devastating floods near the border with China this week have killed at least 579 people in Nepal, its disaster authority said on Friday.
Chinese state media earlier confirmed five dead following Wednesday’s disaster, taking the total killed to at least 584.
The European Union has promised €2m ($2.3m) in aid for Nepal after devastating floods on the country’s border with Tibet swept away entire villages, killing hundreds of people.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X that the “immediate humanitarian aid” would help “deliver life-saving assistance to families and communities hit hardest.”
Nepalese tour operator Leaf Holidays said four UK residents who were on their pilgrimage tour which was crossing the border from Nepal to China in the Rasuwagadhi-Kerun area on Tuesday are now missing.
Married couples Tara and Babar Gurung, and Thaneswar and Tejkumari Gurung, were among 55 people from the tour now missing and have not been heard from since Tuesday, the operator said.
Tour operator The Trekkers’ Society said nine British nationals on one of its tours to the site were among those unaccounted for – four males, aged 14, 50, 50, and 54, and five women, aged 40, 46, 50, 50, and 53.
General manager Roshan Basnet told the Press Association: “When the flood happened, they were still at the Chinese immigration (at) the border.”
He added: “We have yet to get the confirmation of what state they’re in, but as for the video that is circulating on the internet, we believe that it’s a pretty difficult (situation).”
Tour operator Alpine Eco Trek said a 13-year-old girl was among the missing British nationals, as well as two Irish citizens.
Among the missing British nationals are three men aged 65, 64 and 52, and seven women aged 44, 47, 51, 60, 63, 63, and 65, according to travel logs obtained by PA.
Kumar Adhikari, manager of Alpine Eco Trek, said the tour group, who were on a nine-day tour to Mount Kailash, were crossing into Tibet from Nepal when they became trapped at the border as the flash floods struck.
He said he was in contact with his tour guides until 8.40am, when their phones went offline, at which point the group would have been inside Tibet’s immigration office.
“We were hoping that inside it was safe,” he said.
We also have this video of the dramatic rescue operation in the flood-hit district of Rasuwa, where Nepalese army soldiers crawled through thick mud to reach people trapped inside a hydropower tunnel and carried them to safety (see post at 12:48 ):
Timeline of how deadly Nepal and Tibet flash flood unfolded – video explainer
In this video, we explain what caused the deadly flash flooding in Nepal and Tibet and how it unfolded, using maps, footage, and comments from witnesses and geologist Simon Cox of Earth Sciences New Zealand:
PA also spoke to Deepesh Patel, who said his parents, Bipin Patel, 66, and Mala Patel, 60, from Coventry, were missing after flying to Nepal on Saturday to make a pilgrimage to the sacred Hindu site of Mount Kailash.
Deepesh told the news agency his family last heard from the couple on Tuesday, and their last known location was in the Gyirong area of the Nepal-China border.
His brother, Anant Patel, told Sky News he was “shocked” at the lack of information about their whereabouts.
Anant Patel said: “I think from our perspective, we’re not just shocked that our parents appear to be missing, but also… the ongoing lack of certainty is causing further distress.”
A number of those missing had been making the pilgrimage to Mount Kailash.
Family of four including girl, 13, from Surrey among missing Britons - PA
A family from Surrey, including a 13-year-old girl, are thought to be among the missing Britons in Nepal, PA Media reports.
The news agency named the family as Santosh Sahu, 46, who was the chief executive of UK pharmaceutical technology company Charac, his wife Surabhi Manmath Padhy, 44, and their children, Spandan Sahu, 18, and Syna Kumari Sahu, 13.
Spandan had just finished his A-levels at Royal Grammar School, Guildford, and according to his LinkedIn was preparing to study philosophy, politics and economics at university.
A spokesperson for the school said: “It is with great concern that we have been informed that a former student, along with members of his family, have been reported missing in Nepal.
“Whilst we are hoping for positive news, we do not have any further information at this time.
“Our thoughts, love and deepest sympathies are with all of the families and loved ones of anyone affected by this tragedy in Nepal at this incredibly difficult time.”
Thirty-three British nationals are believed to be unaccounted for in Nepal.
More than 1,500 are missing in Nepal floods - the numbers by country
Authorities say more than 1,500 people are missing, including hundreds of foreign nationals and tourists who were in the area to work, trek with guides or make a pilgrimage to a sacred Hindu site.
AP has put together a list of countries that have been affected and how many people are missing from each:
China – 558 missing in Tibet and nearly 100 Chinese citizens missing on the Nepal side.
Two people each from Italy, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Ireland and Netherlands are missing.
Ten others – one each from Belarus, Finland, Hungary, Israel, Lithuania, Philippines, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Serbia and Sweden - are also missing.
Nepal army team rescue people trapped in tunnel
The Nepalese army has published extraordinary footage of its rescue operation of people trapped in a tunnel of a hydropower project in the flood-hit district of Rasuwa.
Rescuers are seen army crawling on thick mud towards the trapped people and carrying them out to safety. The survivors are caked in thick layers of mud, covering their clothes and bodies, as they are helped onto a helicopter as part of the rescue operation.
The Nepalese prime minister’s office said: “Despite the challenging terrain and hazardous conditions, the Nepalese army team deployed for the rescue has so far successfully rescued two people from the tunnel.
“The search is ongoing to determine how many people are still trapped inside , and efforts to rescue them are underway.
“Despite the challenging conditions in the tunnel, the army is continuing its search and rescue efforts for the remaining people, deploying technical equipment and a specially trained team.”
India’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said 320 Indian nationals are still missing in the aftermath of the floods.
About 400 Indian nationals have been located and are safe in the Chinese side of the border, Jaiswal said during a briefing .
Some more sobering images have just come in from the news wires, as rescue efforts continue to search for the more than 1,500 people missing after a brief pause due to a formed river overflowing.
Australian foreign minister Penny Wong spoke to her Nepalese counterpart to convey Australia’s deepest condolences following the devastating floods.
In a post on X, Wong wrote that she had spoken to Shisir Khanal, and outlined Australia’s $5m humanitarian assistance package announced earlier today , which includes $2 million to the World Food Programme and $1 million to the Emergency Action Alliance.
Minister Wong also outlined the details of the deployment of Australian humanitarian response specialists to assist Nepal with response and recovery efforts.
She reaffirmed Australia’s readiness to provide further humanitarian and other assistance as needed, as the country works to confirm the welfare of those missing.
Death toll in Nepal-Tibet flood rises to 543
The overall death toll in Nepal has risen to 538 people, with more than 1,500 still missing, AFP report, citing the disaster authority.
Chinese state media earlier confirmed five dead following Wednesday’s disaster, taking the total killed to at least 543.
More than 100 tourists have been rescued from the floods in Nepal.
So far, 117 tourists have been rescued, including 85 Indians, 16 Chinese, 9 South Koreans, 2 Italians and 2 US nationals, Reuters reports, citing a tourism ministry source.
More than 90,000 people are estimated to be affected by the Himalayan landslide, the Red Cross said on Friday, as aid officials voiced fears of further flooding.
“We’re of course very concerned about the secondary flood,” said David Fisher, head of delegation for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Nepal.
He said that its trucks with relief supplies were blocked after a lake formed by the landslide broke its banks.
Bidur, on the banks of the Trishuli river, is one of the few areas affected by the floods that is still accessible by road.
But what was once a bustling town now lies in ruins. Most homes were completely washed away when a tide of mud, rocks and debris flooded down the river valley early on Wednesday morning. Those who survived described clinging on to buildings and trees as the water rushed over them.
The mangled concrete remains of a bank, a government office and an ATM booth were among the few structures left standing, still submerged deep in mud. Officials said there were still bodies buried inside the buildings but it was too dangerous to enter and dig them out.
Nearby, locals gathered desperately along the muddy road, calling out for lost relatives and trying to dig out remnants of their lives.
Yet rescue efforts in Bidur were quickly disrupted on Friday morning as the levels of the Trishuli river began to rise once again, after a lake upstream, close to the China border, burst its banks. Revsue workers were cleared from the area while residents who had tried to return to their site of their lost and ruined homes were told to evacuate again immediately.
Most of the areas battered by the flash floods still remained only accessible by army helicopter. In Bidur army camp, where much of the rescue efforts was being coordinated, rescue helicopters and army choppers flew in and out every five minutes, dropping off dozens of traumatised victims. Many said that in a matter of minutes, the floods had taken their loved ones, their homes and everything they owned.
This aerial footage shows the lake that formed as a result of the flooding, which started to overflow.
Rescue operations resumed after pause due to overflowing lake
Nepalese authorities have resumed rescue operations in the region hit by a devastating flood this week, an army spokesperson said on Friday, after a brief suspension due to water overflowing from a barrier lake.
An Australian woman has made contact with her family, more than two days after she was reported missing in flash flooding in Nepal .
Cara Severino, 25, is the first of 39 Australians reported missing in the tragedy to have been confirmed safe.
But she is still hiking away from the disaster zone, attempting to reach Kathmandu on foot with a group of Nepali hikers – a trek of more than 110km.
Her parents, Debbie and Frank Severino, confirmed in a statement that she had no phone reception, and her own phone had a flat battery, but that she had contacted them on Friday morning to say she was safe.
She was hiking the Langtang trek and was stranded. With communications down we had no contact.
This morning she was able to call us from Gosainkunda where she has been able to reach along with some other [Nepali] hikers. We understand that they are attempting to reach Kathmandu on foot.
We eagerly await more information about her safe return. We praise God that she has been able to make this brief contact with us. Our thoughts and prayers are with all the families awaiting news.
Related: ‘We praise God’: Australian woman feared missing in Nepal flooding makes contact with family
China state broadcaster CCTV says five people died in flooding along Tibet’s border with Nepal.
The number of people reported missing on the Tibetan side of the border was unchanged at 558 as of 3pm Beijing time (8am BST).
The Tibetan figures take the overall death toll so far confirmed to 474.
You can read the full story about the lake overflowing on the Nepal-Tibet border below.
Related: Rescues suspended on Tibet-Nepal border as flood death toll hits 469
China says lake risks 'gradually decreasing'
Risks from a lake formed after a deadly mudslide in Tibet are “gradually decreasing”, AFP reports, citing Chinese state media, adding that rescue operations were “proceeding in an orderly manner”.
Water from the lake was “flowing out naturally, with the outflow discharge exceeding the inflow discharge”, state broadcaster CCTV said.
Compared to the high water level in the early morning on August 27, the lake’s water level has dropped by around 10 metres (33 feet), and the risk is gradually decreasing.
It was not immediately clear if the lake was the same as a debris dam that Nepalese authorities warned had burst on Friday.
Here are some of the latest images from the news wires.
Nepal does not need foreign assistance for search-and-rescue operations following the devastating flash flood, its foreign ministry said on Friday, despite offers of help from several countries with nationals missing in the disaster.
Nepal’s foreign ministry said that it was managing the rescue efforts. “The offer for help is natural. Our security agencies are doing the search and rescue operation. For now we don’t require such help,” Lok Bahadur Chhetri, spokesperson for the foreign ministry, said without providing further details.
South Korea’s foreign ministry said Nepal had indicated it was not yet planning to accept foreign rescue teams.
A South Korean rapid response team is already in Kathmandu but has not been deployed, it added.
South Korea will keep negotiating with Nepal over the matter.
Seoul has pledged $1 million in humanitarian assistance through international organisations, its foreign minister said on X. Nine South Koreans working in a hydropower plant were missing and 10 were stranded, South Korea’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
Narendra Pariyar, the most senior bureaucrat in hard-hit Rasuwa district, confirmed that the glacial lake had broken its bank.
“We can see that the level of water in the river is rising,” he said, adding that it was unclear how high the water level was at present.
Helicopter rescue operations halted in Nepal as lake dam breaks in Rasuwa district
Authorities in Nepal have stopped rescue operations for the next 90 minutes, an army officer said on Friday, after reports that a dammed lake in the flood-hit region began to overflow.
Helicopter rescue operations in the flood hit Rasuwa district were stopped and locals were seen rushing up the hill, according to a Reuters witness.
In case you’re just joining us, here’s a snapshot of the latest in the Nepal-Tibet calamity.
Chinese authorities warned that an artificial lake formed after a catastrophic flash flood hit the China-Nepal border on Wednesday faces a “high risk of breaching and sending flood waters downstream”, state media reported.
Nepal also warned of new flooding risks , with the country’s disaster authority saying water levels were rising in a lake formed by debris clogging a flooded site and that it was at risk of bursting its banks.
Rescue teams and military helicopters continue their search for hundreds of missing people along the mountainous border. Wednesday’s flash flooding after a glacial collapse killed at least 469 people and has left more than 1,500 missing.
Efforts to locate those unaccounted for have been complicated by the destruction of dozens of bridges and 40km (25 miles) of roads . The missing include hundreds of tourists from India, the US, Britain, Australia and Canada.
The Red Cross said about 93,000 people might have been affected and launched an emergency appeal for $31m for disaster relief.
China paused a rescue operation at the epicentre of the Tibet disaster due to the high risk of renewed flooding in Tibet. State broadcaster CCTV reported that a lake formed by immense piles of debris had begun overflowing towards the area that rescue teams were headed.
Nepali army helicopter rescue teams are working to rescue about 100 people trapped inside a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower project swamped by Wednesday’s flash flood, an army spokesperson said.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said he ordered the release of $2m from the UN’s central emergency response fund to help with medical care, shelter and water.
Rescuers found bodies in Nepal’s Chitwan district , hundreds of kilometres downstream from the hardest-hit areas.
The overall death toll in Nepal has risen to 469 people, with more than 1,500 missing , and China has paused rescue work at the epicentre of the Tibet flooding amid fears that an artificial lake formed at the site was at risk of bursting.
The international community, meanwhile, is scrambling to get aid into flood-stricken parts of Nepal and Tibet but search and rescue efforts are being complicated by the destruction.
There’s more in our new full report here:
Related: Flood risk forces halt to rescues in Tibet, as Nepal death toll rises to 469
The scale of the destruction from the flooding in Nepal’s northern border region was becoming clearer on Friday, with roads, bridges and hydropower infrastructure destroyed and survivors describing scenes of extraordinary devastation.
Amid the rescue attempt unfolding at the Trishuli 3A hydropower project, workers rescued from other dam projects along the Trishuli valley described a disaster that unfolded with terrifying speed.
“There were at least 400 workers at the site,” Dev Shrestha , who was airlifted from the site where he was working, said after his rescue.
Worker Buddha Tamang said he survived only because he was inside a tunnel at the dam where he worked when the flood struck – but he had managed to get out and reach help, Agence France-Presse reports.
“I survived as I was in the tunnel,” said Tamang, who was airlifted on Thursday after being marooned for more than 24 hours.
The senior officers working on the other side, they were all swept away.
Another worker, Arjun Kumar Tamang , spoke of “massive damage” at the hydropower site where he had been.
I don’t know how many people died but the force of the water swept everything away.
More now on the Nepali army’s rescue operation to save about 100 people trapped in a tunnel at a hydropower project swamped by Wednesday’s flooding .
“Two helicopters have been dispatched but it is challenging because it is tough to even locate the entry points of the tunnel,” army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet told AFP.
Relief efforts are also under way to provide the rescued people what they need.
The prime minister’s office said the army had been working in tough conditions.
“A Nepali army team has successfully rescued 350 workers and locals who were trapped in the tunnel a while ago facing extremely risky and challenging conditions amid adverse weather and rapid floodwaters,” the statement read.
The army is still working to safely evacuate more than 100 people trapped in the same tunnel.
Here are some of the latest images coming in amid the Nepal-Tibet border devastation as rescuers continue to search for more than 1,300 people missing, including hundreds of tourists and pilgrims.
China halts rescue at Tibet epicentre over flood risk – state media
China has paused a rescue operation due to the high risk of renewed flooding in Tibet , where hundreds remain missing after the deadly mudslide in the border region.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that a lake formed by immense piles of debris had begun overflowing towards the area that rescue teams were headed.
“So all rescue teams have been ordered to stand by in place and wait for further instructions,” it said on Friday, cited by AFP.
CCTV added that emergency teams which had earlier accessed the area “have been ordered to withdraw one kilometre”.
China has halted the rescue at the epicentre of the Tibet disaster over flood risk , state media is reportedly saying.
Nepal army trying to rescue 100 trapped in hydropower tunnel
Nepali army helicopter rescue teams are working to rescue about 100 people trapped inside a tunnel at a hydropower project swamped by Wednesday’s flash flood.
“Our focus is in search and rescue of people ... some people are trapped in the tunnel of Trishuli 3A hydropower project,” Nepal army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet told Agence France-Presse.
The prime minister’s office said in a statement on Friday that 350 people had been rescued from the area but 100 more were trapped.
The Nepalese army says it is working to rescue 100 people trapped in a hydropower tunnel after the flooding.
The family of two Sydney boys who went missing with their parents in Nepal say they remain hopeful they will be found saf e.
The four were taking part in a pilgrimage when the flood hit and are among 39 Australians identified as missing in the region.
Nino Bucci and Henry Belot report that the mother’s sister Vaishnavi said she had lost contact with the family shortly after breakfast on the morning of the flood.
They planned to head towards an immigration checkpoint on the Tibet-Nepal border soon after, as part of the group of 15 Australians trekking as part of a tour.
Just like everyone else that’s part of that group, we’re really worried, but hopeful. Hopeful that they’re safe and just waiting to be rescued.
It’s a very difficult time for our whole family … I just want to make people aware that they’re there, and we’re waiting, and we just want them to return.
Related: ‘We just want them to return’: relatives of Australians missing in Nepal floods wait anxiously for news of loved ones
Nepal death toll rises to 469, police say
Nepal police have said that the death toll from Wednesday’s flash flood now stands at 469.
It’s a jump of 80 since the last reported update, and comes as search teams continue recovery efforts across the disaster-struck area. More than 1,300 remain missing, including hundreds of tourists from India, the US, Britain, Australia and Canada.
Efforts to locate those unaccounted for have been complicated by the destruction of dozens of bridges and 40km (25 miles) of roads in the mountainous region, which is popular with trekkers and pilgrims.
Rescuers have evacuated 555 stranded tourists from Tibet, Chinese state media reported on Friday.
State broadcaster CCTV said 499 local residents, as well as 555 tourists, had been transported out of the disaster zone as of Friday morning.
It did not specify the tourists’ nationalities.
Summary: river at risk of flooding again amid race to find survivors
Chinese authorities have warned that an artificial lake formed after a catastrophic flash flood hit the China-Nepal border on Wednesday faces a “high risk of breaching and sending flood waters downstream”, according to state media.
“According to forecasts, inflows into the lake could reach about 3 million cubic meters over the next three days amid continued rainfall, increasing the risk of a breach that could send flood waters downstream and potentially cause further damage in areas including Gyirong Port and elsewhere downstream”, state news agency Xinhua reported late on Thursday.
Nepal has also warned of new flooding risks, with the country’s disaster authority saying water levels were rising in a lake formed by debris clogging a flooded site and that it was at risk of bursting its banks. It did not name the specific site.
It comes as rescue teams and military helicopters continue their search for hundreds of missing people along the mountainous border, with the Red Cross saying about 93,000 people might have been affected. The aid agency launched an emergency appeal for $31m to respond to the disaster.
Rescue teams and military helicopters are searching for hundreds of missing people along the mountainous Nepal-Tibet border after the huge torrent of water and mud swept through communities following a glacier collapse on Wednesday.
More than 390 people were killed , authorities in Nepal and China said, and more than 1,400 were missing, including hundreds of foreign citizens and pilgrims.
Related: How the deadly Nepal and Tibet flash flood unfolded – a visual guide
More than 500 foreign citizens were among 826 people missing in Nepal , police and tourism officials said. Among those unaccounted for were 177 from India, 90 from the US, 39 from Australia, 33 from Britain and 25 from Canada.
Chinese state media said at least 558 were missing on the Tibet side of the border, of whom at least 260 were foreign nationals.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said he ordered the release of $2m from the UN’s central emergency response fund to help with medical care, shelter and water.
US president Donald Trump said the flooding was terrible to see , describing how “strong, well-built buildings were wiped out like they were toothpicks”.
Nepalese officials said dozens of bridges were destroyed and nearly 40km of roads damaged , complicating search efforts.
The Nepalese army had rescued more than 100 people by helicopter , an army spokesperson said. Army teams also evacuated people trapped inside facilities linked to the Trishuli hydropower project, he said. Dozens of injured people were transported to Kathmandu for medical care.
Rescuers found bodies in Nepal’s Chitwan district , hundreds of kilometres downstream from the hardest-hit areas.
The Nepal Red Cross Society said the agency has shifted its focus from rescue to large-scale relief operations in the flood-hit districts.
China’s premier, Li Qiang, arrived in Gyirong on Thursday to direct rescue efforts , alongside 500 military and paramilitary personnel.
More than 550 remain unaccounted for in Tibet’s Gyirong County after Wednesday’s massive flash flood, including 260 foreigners, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
This report is published with credit to theguardian.com. Full available text from the wire is above. Read on theguardian.com →
Source: theguardian.com · Wendy Frew (now) ; Lucy Campbell, Keely Aouga, Nadeem Badshah, Tom Ambrose, Mabel Banfield-Nwachi, Taz Ali and Adam Fulton (earlier). Published 29 Aug 2026, 03:04 am.
