The death toll from devastating floods and landslides along the Nepal-China Himalayan border has risen to 584, while nearly 2,500 people remain missing, according to the latest reports available through Friday (August 28).
Nepal Police said 579 people have died in the catastrophic flooding that struck Bagmati Province in northern Nepal on Wednesday (August 26). In neighboring Tibet, China, landslides in Gyirong County of Shigatse Prefecture have claimed another five lives.
The death toll has surged from 362 to 584 in just one day as rescuers continue recovering bodies from flood-hit areas across Nepal.
The number of missing people in Nepal has nearly doubled, rising from 977 to 1,924. Including 558 people missing in Tibet, the combined number of missing people in the two countries stands at 2,482.
Among those missing are 517 foreign nationals from around 30 countries. Nine South Korean nationals working on a hydropower project in Nepal are also still unaccounted for.
South Korea, India, China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have offered to send rescue teams to Nepal.
However, Nepal's Foreign Ministry said it is currently accepting international financial assistance but does not need foreign rescue teams. Spokesperson Lok Bahadur Chhetri said Nepal's security forces are leading the rescue operations and that specialised foreign assistance would be requested if necessary.
More than 100 people remain trapped at the construction site of Nepal's largest hydropower project. The Nepal Army is working to rescue them from a flood-hit tunnel, but thick layers of mud and debris have made it difficult even to locate the tunnel entrance.
Nepal's Prime Minister's Office said around 350 workers and local residents have already been rescued, while efforts are continuing to evacuate another approximately 100 people trapped inside.
By Friday afternoon, more than 14,800 security personnel had been deployed in the disaster-hit areas. They have rescued 3,742 people, including 121 foreign nationals. Another 3,253 people have been evacuated by helicopter.
Rescue operations have also been disrupted by the threat of another flood. Water accumulated behind a natural debris dam in the mountainous region, forming a lake that has reportedly overflowed.
The risk of a second wave of flooding has forced authorities in parts of Nepal and China to temporarily suspend rescue operations.
David Fisher, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' delegation in Nepal, said at least 93,000 people have been affected by the disaster. He stressed the urgent need for assistance and expressed serious concern over the possibility of further flooding.
Experts believe the disaster may have been triggered by the collapse of massive glaciers and rock formations in the Himalayas, potentially linked to climate change and global warming.
According to preliminary analysis, a huge section of glacier and rock, approximately 600 metres wide, collapsed from an elevation of around 5,200 metres on Langtang Lirung mountain. The force of the collapse was estimated to be comparable to a magnitude 5.2 earthquake.
The resulting torrent of ice, water and debris reportedly travelled from the Lende River toward the Trishuli River, around 70 kilometres away, triggering devastating flooding.
Some experts believe the sudden release of water from a lake formed behind a natural glacial dam may also have contributed to the disaster. They warn that rising global temperatures and continued climate change could make such sudden floods and glacial disasters more frequent in the Himalayas.
Sources: NDTV, The Herald Business, The Guardian.
