KATHMANDU: Nepal is facing one of its deadliest Himalayan disasters in recent years as rescue teams continue searching through mud, wreckage and swollen river corridors after catastrophic flash floods triggered by a massive ice-rock and glacier collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border.
Nepal Police reported 469 confirmed deaths in Nepal earlier on Friday. However, the situation is changing rapidly: a later Reuters update put the toll at 489 deaths in Nepal and five in Tibet, with almost 1,000 people still missing across the two regions. Because recovery operations remain active, casualty and missing-person figures are expected to change further.
Disaster Triggered by Massive Glacier and Rock Collapse
The catastrophe began on Wednesday when a huge section of rock and glacier collapsed in the high Himalayas near the Nepal-China border.
Satellite analysis indicates that bedrock beneath a glacier on Langtang Lirung collapsed, sending enormous quantities of ice, rock and debris down the mountain. The cascading event overwhelmed rivers, including the Trishuli, sending a destructive wall of muddy water downstream.
Towns, villages, roads, bridges, homes and hydropower infrastructure were swept away or buried under debris as the flood travelled through Himalayan valleys.
Hundreds Dead Across Eight Nepal Districts
At the point when Nepal Police placed the country’s death toll at 469, bodies had been recovered across eight districts.
Chitwan had reported 178 deaths, followed by Nawalparasi East with 110, Gorkha with 44, Nuwakot with 37, Dhading with 33, Tanahu with 28, Nawalparasi West with 27 and Rasuwa with 12, according to figures reported from Nepal Police.
The numbers underline how the disaster spread far beyond the immediate glacier-collapse zone as torrents of water and debris travelled downstream.
Missing-Person Numbers Remain Fluid
The scale of the missing-person search remains enormous, but figures vary depending on the reporting agency and time of update.
Earlier Nepalese figures cited 910 people missing in Nepal, while 558 were reported missing on the Tibet side, putting the combined number at 1,468.
AP reported a somewhat different tally of 977 missing in Nepal and 558 in Tibet, demonstrating how rapidly figures are being revised as authorities reconcile lists of residents, workers, tourists and pilgrims.
Reuters’ later Friday update said almost 1,000 remained missing across Nepal and Tibet as authorities continued updating casualty records.
The missing include local residents as well as foreign tourists, workers and pilgrims from numerous countries.
Thousands of Rescue Personnel Deployed
Nepal has mounted a huge search-and-rescue operation across the disaster zone.
At least 7,451 security personnel, including 2,391 Nepal Army personnel, were involved in operations when Nepal Police released its Friday figures. Teams have been searching riverbanks, damaged settlements and areas buried beneath thick layers of mud and debris.
Heavy machinery and search dogs are being used to locate victims, while helicopters have been deployed to reach communities cut off after roads and bridges were destroyed.
At least 1,545 people had been rescued according to the Nepal Police figures reported Friday morning, including stranded residents and others trapped in affected areas.
Fresh Flood Threat Briefly Halts Rescue Work
The rescue operation faced another dangerous setback on Friday when a lake created by a landslide near the Nepal-China border began overflowing.
The development triggered panic in communities already devastated by Wednesday’s flood and forced rescue work to be temporarily suspended in some areas because of fears that another surge could rush downstream. Operations subsequently resumed as the immediate danger became manageable.
The newly formed lakes and unstable Himalayan slopes remain a serious concern for authorities on both sides of the border.
Foreign Nationals Among Missing
The disaster has taken on a major international dimension because the affected Himalayan region attracts tourists, trekkers, workers and religious pilgrims from around the world.
AP reported people from more than 30 countries among those unaccounted for. Its figures included hundreds of foreign nationals, although individual country totals continue to change as people establish contact with their families or are evacuated.
India is among the countries working to trace nationals caught in the disaster. A Friday report citing India’s Ministry of External Affairs said 290 Indian nationals remained uncontactable while 84 had been rescued, although these numbers are also subject to revision as tracing operations progress.
Search Operation Enters Critical Phase
Rescuers are now working against difficult terrain, unstable slopes, damaged communications and the continuing possibility of further flooding.
Mud and debris have made access to some settlements extremely difficult, while destruction of roads and bridges has forced authorities to rely heavily on helicopters and specialised ground teams.
With hundreds still unaccounted for and large areas requiring searches, officials have warned that the full human cost of the disaster may take time to establish.
The tragedy has also highlighted the growing danger posed by unstable Himalayan glaciers, permafrost and mountain slopes. Scientists say warming conditions can increase instability, although establishing the precise role of climate change in this particular collapse will require further investigation.
For now, the priority remains finding survivors, recovering victims, evacuating isolated communities and monitoring newly formed lakes that could trigger further flooding.
Latest verified update: The widely reported 469 Nepal death toll was an earlier Friday figure. Reuters subsequently reported 489 deaths in Nepal plus five in Tibet, with almost 1,000 people still missing across the two regions.
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