Nepal flood death toll tops 1,200 as rescuers hope survivors remain trapped in tunnels

More than 1,200 people have died in the Nepal floods, and more than 5,000 remain missing. Yet officials are still holding on to the possibility that some survivors are alive inside hydropower tunnels.

Nepal’s disaster authorities said the death toll in the country had reached 1,222, with 4,875 people missing. Chinese state media reported 21 deaths and 541 missing in Tibet, taking the combined toll to 1,243 dead and 5,416 missing. The missing include more than 800 foreigners from about 30 countries.

On the eighth day of the disaster, rescuers were digging through rubble and drilling openings in a continuing search for people trapped in tunnels and other underground spaces. No additional survivors had been reported from the hydropower tunnels. Nine South Koreans who lost contact also remained unaccounted for.

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Because there is food and water inside, I am confident they are alive.

Amshu Kiran Shahi, a director at Nepal’s electricity authority, said about 46 people were believed to be trapped inside a room-like structure at the Rasuwagadhi hydropower plant. “Because there is food and water inside, I am confident they are alive,” he told Reuters. Nepal’s foreign minister, Shishir Khanal, also said he did not want to abandon hope. “Miracles do happen. I do not want to give up hope completely at this point,” he told AFP.

Families in Kathmandu lined up to provide DNA samples to identify bodies recovered from the disaster. With morgues full, some bodies had already been buried. Prime Minister Balendra Shah said the government was moving its focus from search, rescue and relief to rehabilitation and reconstruction. Authorities were also strengthening disease surveillance as crowded shelters, polluted water and damaged medical facilities increased public health risks. The United Nations said about 3,500 people were living in 27 temporary shelters in Nuwakot and Rasuwa, while preliminary estimates put building damage at $158 million. Nepal said total reconstruction costs could reach billions of dollars.

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Miracles do happen. I do not want to give up hope completely at this point.