Nepal-Tibet Disaster Toll Hits 750 as Thousands Remain Missing

KATHMANDU/GYIRONG

The death toll from catastrophic floods and landslides along the Nepal-Tibet border has climbed to 750, with more than 3,000 people still unaccounted for nearly a week after a glacial collapse sent a wall of ice, mud and rock through communities on both sides of the frontier.

The disaster is not attributed to any single named individual or agency’s wrongdoing; officials in Nepal and China have instead focused on emergency response, with rescue operations ongoing as of Sunday.

How the disaster began

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The catastrophe struck on Wednesday, after the United States Geological Survey identified a glacial collapse as the trigger, while Chinese state media pinpointed a glacier on the southern slope of Lirung Peak in Nepal as the source of the ice-rock avalanche.

The resulting debris flow travelled more than 20 kilometres before reaching Gyirong Port in Tibet, according to China’s Xinhua news agency.

The numbers behind the tragedy

Nepali authorities have confirmed 734 deaths domestically, with 2,498 people still unaccounted for; Tibet has recorded 16 deaths and 546 missing, bringing the combined missing figure to 3,044.

Among the missing are 933 hydropower workers and 589 foreign nationals, including trekkers and Hindu pilgrims travelling toward Mount Kailash.

The Isha Foundation, led by Indian spiritual leader Sadhguru, said 80 of its members had travelled to the affected area, with no encouraging signs yet for those believed trapped near an immigration office in the disaster zone.

A race against the weather

In Nepal, soldiers and engineers spent Sunday working to reach trapped workers inside a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric project, with Home Minister Sudan Gurung confirming rescuers had inserted a pipe to pump air to survivors.

Continued rainfall and rising river levels have complicated the search, and disaster authorities have warned teams to remain cautious given the risk of further flooding from debris-formed lakes upstream.

The world responds

International aid has begun flowing in: the United States and Canada have each pledged $3.6 million, the United Kingdom $6.8 million, the United Nations $2.5 million and the European Union $2.3 million, while the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has launched an appeal for an additional $31 million.

Nepal’s Foreign Minister, Shisir Khanal, has warned that reconstruction could cost billions of dollars and has appealed for specialised equipment, including forensic kits and freezer units for storing remains, a grim indicator of how long the recovery, in every sense of the word, is expected to take.