Nepal Flood Survivors Scoured as New Flooding Risk Grows

Rescue teams in Nepal are digging through mud and debris with heavy machinery, two days after a devastating flash flood triggered by a glacier collapse. Hopes of finding survivors are fading as the confirmed death toll climbed to 469 early Friday, with nearly 1,000 more people missing in Nepal and neighboring Tibet.

The torrent of rock, ice, and mud swept through villages and valleys, destroying power stations, roads, and bridges. This destruction has isolated thousands of people in towns and valleys, prompting authorities to use helicopters for search operations and to deliver emergency supplies. Sniffer dogs are also being employed as emergency services recover bodies.

Among the missing are at least 540 foreigners. Dibga Tamang, rescued from the hard-hit town of Rasuwa, described the immense loss: “All of our people have gone. They are dead. I have no one left waiting for me. Everything and everyone is gone. The end.”

Officials are now racing to prevent further disaster. A lake formed by debris blocking the Bhotekoshi River is rising and at risk of bursting. China reports that approximately three million cubic meters of water are expected to flow into an already dammed lake on its side of the border over the next three days, with peak flow anticipated around September 1. Chinese authorities are deploying engineering teams to assess and manage the barrier lake, though access remains challenging.

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All of our people have gone. They are dead. I have no one left waiting for me. Everything and everyone is gone. The end.