Kathmandu: The combined death toll from the catastrophic floods affecting Nepal and Tibet has risen to 691, while 3,044 people remain missing, according to the latest figures available on Sunday morning.
Nepal’s disaster agency has confirmed 675 deaths, with 2,498 people still missing. The missing-person count increased by 80 from the previously reported figure of 2,418, likely as authorities continued verifying reports from isolated settlements, hydropower facilities and other disaster-hit locations.
Tibet Reports Revised Casualty Figures
Chinese authorities have reported 16 confirmed deaths and 546 missing people in Tibet. The revised figures replace an earlier count of seven deaths and 554 missing.
Taken together, the latest official updates put the Nepal–Tibet flood toll at 691 dead and 3,044 missing. The combined death toll has increased by nine, while the number of missing people has risen by 72 compared with the previous assessment.
Authorities have cautioned that these figures may change as rescue teams reach remote areas and reconcile overlapping or incomplete missing-person lists.
Hydropower Tunnel Rescue Efforts Continue
More than 100 people are still believed to be trapped at hydropower sites in Nepal. Rescue personnel are attempting to reach workers inside tunnels blocked by mud, rocks and flood debris.
The operation remains extremely difficult because of unstable slopes, deep sediment and damaged access routes. Steep Himalayan terrain has also slowed the movement of heavy equipment and emergency supplies.
Nepali security agencies are working alongside specialised foreign teams to assess the affected tunnels and identify possible access points. However, no major breakthrough or additional tunnel rescue had been confirmed in the latest update.
Relief Operations Face Major Challenges
Emergency teams continue searching riverbanks, damaged settlements and hydropower sites for survivors and victims. Relief agencies are also working to deliver food, drinking water, medicine and temporary shelter to communities cut off by damaged roads and bridges.
Authorities are monitoring river levels and upstream barrier lakes because unstable debris could create further flooding. Residents living near vulnerable rivers and slopes have been advised to remain alert and follow evacuation instructions.
With thousands still unaccounted for, the immediate priorities remain locating missing people, reaching those trapped at hydropower facilities, treating injured survivors and restoring access to isolated communities.
The casualty and missing-person figures are based on the latest update available at 8:55 a.m. Nepal time on August 30 and may be revised as verification continues.
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