Close to 2,500 missing in Nepal and China after devastating flooding

Nearly 2,500 people are missing following the flash floods that devastated a mountainous region between Nepal and China, with authorities on both sides of the border stepping up rescue efforts.

At least 579 people have been confirmed dead while 1,924 people remain unaccounted for including hundreds of foreigners from India, Malaysia, Australia and the US, Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said in a post on X. That was almost double its previous estimate of missing people. China said its death toll stood at seven, with 554 missing, according to state broadcaster CGTN.

The catastrophe was triggered on Wednesday by a glacial collapse that sent ice, mud, rocks and fast-moving water surging through a valley in Nepal, destroying entire settlements in its path. Videos showed people attempting to flee as walls of water and debris swallowed buildings, tore down bridges and washed away trees, boulders and vehicles.

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Nepal has mobilized about 15,000 personnel for challenging rescue missions, including in settlements steeped in sludge and at hydropower projects where workers have been trapped in tunnels. The military has “intensified its operations” and “deployed special teams and is actively collecting bodies at a rapid pace,” the prime minister’s office said on social media.

Rescue efforts in the remote region have been hampered by the risk of further flooding as rivers clogged with mud and debris formed new, unstable lakes upstream. Authorities were closely monitoring such lakes, some of which were quickly filling with water that could breach the banks in an uncontrolled manner.

Separately, Prime Minister Balendra Shah denied reports Nepal had rejected foreign aid, saying the government was coordinating with India, China and others.

The country will need at least “a few billion dollars” to recover from the devastation, prompting the US$45 billion economy to seek international funding for a massive reconstruction effort, Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Friday.