Nepal-China Flood Toll Tops 1,300, Thousands Still Missing

(MENAFN) The death toll from catastrophic flash floods and mudslides along the Nepal-China border climbed past 1,300 on Friday, with more than 5,500 people still unaccounted for nine days after the disaster tore through the Himalayas, officials from both countries said.

Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority reported 1,294 confirmed deaths and 5,053 people missing, including 583 foreign nationals. The update came shortly after rescuers pulled two survivors from the Trishuli 3A Hydropower Project.

At least six hydropower facilities on the Nepalese side of the border have been damaged by the flooding, and search teams are still working to locate roughly 900 workers who were stationed at those sites. Disaster officials also warned that the Chaulani River is now half-blocked by debris, raising fears that further landslides could dam it entirely. The District Administration Office in Darchula has urged people living along riverbanks and in low-lying areas nearby to remain vigilant.

On the Chinese side, authorities reported 31 deaths and 531 people missing in the southwestern Xizang Autonomous Region, also known as Tibet, according to media. Combined, the two countries' tolls stand at 1,325 dead and 5,584 missing — including 844 foreign nationals.

The disaster began Aug. 26 when a glacier fractured on Nepal's Mount Langtang Lirung at roughly 5,200 meters (17,060 feet), triggering an ice-rock avalanche that grew into a massive debris flow sweeping through border valleys. The flooding and mudslides devastated Nepal's Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and Kavre districts as well as the Kathmandu Valley, while also burying the Gyirong border crossing in Xizang.

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