Nepal-China flood death toll reaches 750 as rescue efforts continue

By Aurax Radio | August 30, 2026 | 2 min read

A catastrophic glacier collapse along the Nepal-China border has killed at least 750 people and left more than 3,000 missing, with rescuers facing dangerous conditions and widespread infrastructure damage. Nepal has also warned of additional flooding as authorities work to reach people trapped in hydropower tunnels and identify victims from the disaster.

Rescue workers and heavy machinery excavate debris outside a flooded hydropower tunnel in Nepal.

Nepalese rescue workers search a mud-filled hydropower tunnel for workers believed to be trapped after the flooding

Rescue teams in Nepal and China continued searching Sunday after a mass of ice, rock and debris collapsed in the Himalayas Wednesday, sending a powerful surge of water through communities along the Lhende Khola and Trishuli river systems. Nepalese authorities said 734 bodies had been recovered and 2,498 people remained missing, while Chinese authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 missing in Tibet’s Gyirong County. At least 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries are among those unaccounted for, according to Chinese authorities. The flooding destroyed homes, bridges, roads and other infrastructure, while mud and debris have complicated access to some of the hardest-hit areas.

In Nepal’s Rasuwa district, military and civilian rescue teams are drilling into tunnels at hydropower facilities where hundreds of workers are believed to have been trapped by flood debris. Rescuers have used drilling equipment, excavators, hydraulic tools, cameras and air pumps in attempts to reach the tunnels, but rain and rising river levels have repeatedly disrupted operations. The disaster also damaged sections of the Prithvi Highway, an important route for supplies to Kathmandu, and left some communities without reliable electricity. Nepal has requested specialist assistance from India and China for difficult tunnel rescues, while international governments and humanitarian organizations have committed emergency assistance.

Authorities have also been monitoring the risk of further flooding after the glacier collapse created a temporary lake near the disaster zone. Chinese officials said the lake has been gradually draining, reducing the immediate threat of a sudden outburst, but another larger lake has also been identified and remains under observation. The disaster has renewed attention on the vulnerability of communities and infrastructure in the rapidly warming Himalayan region, where retreating and destabilized glaciers can increase the risk of floods, landslides and other hazards. Rescue operations remain focused on locating survivors, recovering bodies and restoring access to isolated communities while authorities continue issuing flood warnings in downstream areas.

Sources: Information compiled from The Associated Press, Reuters, Al Jazeera, BBC and CNN reporting.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse