Nepal, Tibet Floods : Death Toll Climbs To 750, Over 3,000 Missing

ISTANBUL, Aug 30 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- The death toll from devastating flash floods and landslides in Nepal and China's Tibet region has climbed to 750, while more than 3,000 people remain missing, Anadolu Ajansi reported, citing the latest figures released by authorities and local media on Sunday.

In Nepal, 2,498 people remain missing, including hundreds of foreign nationals.

Chinese authorities, meanwhile, reported 16 deaths and 546 people missing in Tibet.

Search and rescue operations are underway for 2,498 people who remain missing, including 933 workers at hydropower projects, 589 foreign nationals, 127 Nepalis travelling with foreign tourists, and residents from several affected districts, local sources reported.

Nearly 20,000 security personnel have rescued 8,186 people, while helicopter operations evacuated 279 hydropower workers and 227 foreign nationals to safety.

Relief operations are underway, with food and essential supplies being delivered, medical teams deployed, and government cash aid distributed, Nepal News reported.

The disaster struck the China-Nepal border region on Wednesday when a sudden glacial collapse sent a powerful surge of water and debris through Himalayan valleys, destroying villages and severely damaging major infrastructure.

The scale of the devastation has left families desperately searching for loved ones who remain missing.

Authorities are racing to preserve evidence and find space for the dead as hospital mortuaries reach capacity and recovered remains begin to decompose.

Search and rescue operations have been complicated by the region's rugged terrain, steep mountains, and narrow gorges.

Nepal has sought specialised assistance for tunnel rescues, survivor-detection technology, forensic and DNA analysis, as well as equipment to preserve recovered bodies.

An 11-member tunnel rescue reconnaissance team from India has already arrived to support the operation.

Authorities are also closely monitoring a newly formed lake in the Himalayas that had raised fears of another flood. Chinese officials said the lake had significantly shrunk and was now “essentially drained” after releasing its water naturally, easing concerns of an immediate new surge.

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU