Race to get aid into Nepal and Tibet amid warnings flood lake could burst

Flash floods have killed at least 469 people while homes and infrastructure have been swept away

The international community was scrambling to get aid into flood-stricken parts of Nepal and Tibet on Thursday as authorities warned that a lake ⁠formed at the ⁠site ⁠where the ​deadly torrents occurred ⁠was rising and ⁠at risk ​of ‌bursting.

The catastrophic flash floods that hit Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday, thundering down valleys and obliterating entire villages, killed at least 469 people and left more than 1,300 missing.

Efforts to locate those unaccounted for – including hundreds of tourists from India, the US, Britain, Australia and Canada – have been complicated by the destruction of dozens of bridges and 25 miles (40km) of roads in the mountainous region, which is popular with trekkers and pilgrims.

Nepali army helicopter rescue teams were working on Friday to rescue about 100 people trapped inside a tunnel at a hydropower project swamped by the devastating flood.

“Our focus is in search and rescue of people … some people are trapped in the tunnel of Trishuli 3A hydropower project,” said Nepal army spokesman Raja Ram Basnet.

“Two helicopters have been dispatched but it is challenging because it is tough to even locate the entry points of the tunnel. Relief efforts are also under way to provide the rescued people what they need.”

The prime minister’s office said the army was working in tough conditions and had already rescued 350 workers and local people who were trapped in the tunnel amid the risky conditions.

Rescue teams reported finding bodies hundreds of miles downstream from the disaster zone in the Chitwan district of Nepal, near the Tibetan border. Dozens of injured people were transported to Kathmandu for advanced medical care and more than 100 people were rescued by Nepali army personnel in helicopters.

Videos from Wednesday showed a massive wall of water crashing down on the border as people tried to flee. The power, volume and speed of the floods gave little time for escape.

Trucks were overturned and houses, roads ⁠and power plants were swept away in Nepal, while ​officials in Tibet said they feared “major casualties” after a mudslide hit a border crossing.