Nepal-China Border Floods Leave Over 2,400 Missing, 586 Bodies Recovered

Torrential floods and mudslides have devastated villages along the Nepal-China border, leaving more than 2,400 people missing and 586 bodies recovered. The disaster, described as the deadliest in Nepal since the 2015 earthquake, was triggered by a glacial collapse that unleashed a torrent of ice, snow, and debris. This catastrophic event has formed new lakes, one of which now directly threatens rescue personnel searching for survivors.

Rescue teams are battling against time and challenging conditions, continuing their search through mud-drenched landscapes. The scale of the disaster is immense, with emergency services finding bodies, some of which have been swept far downstream into India. The latest figures include 933 hydropower project workers and pilgrims en route to Mount Kailash among the missing. Hospitals in Nepal's capital are overwhelmed with anxious families desperately seeking information, with walls covered in photos and names of the missing.

New threats have emerged as Nepalese police urged all rescue personnel to move to safety due to reports of another dam bursting on the Tibetan side. Chinese authorities in Tibet had temporarily halted rescue operations in the severely affected Gyirong region due to fears of further flooding, though they later stated the threat had diminished. Chinese President Xi Jinping has convened a meeting on rescue efforts and expressed Beijing's willingness to aid Nepal.

Nepal has officially reported 579 deaths, with 1,924 people unaccounted for, including 517 foreigners. In India, seven bodies recovered from a river originating in Nepal are believed to be flood victims. Information from the Tibetan side remains largely reliant on official Chinese reports due to restrictions on foreign journalists.

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Immediately move to safe locations.