Nepal resumes rescue ops after another flood scare

The search for survivors is continuing after a brief pause due to the threat of a fresh deluge, with about 1,500 still missing Nepal and China briefly suspended rescue operations for those missing in Wednesday’s flash flood due to the threat of new onrush of water from a lake that formed on the upper reaches of the Bhote Koshi river.

The lake broke its banks Friday morning and Nepal asked its rescue teams and residents to move to higher ground.

Rescue operations resumed soon afterward when the authorities assessed that the risk of flooding was not as severe as initially thought.

CNN reported, citing a spokesperson for Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, that there is no risk of a massive deluge like before.

“It is a small amount of water leaking from the dam down into the valley below.” Chinese officials said the risk of flooding had decreased as the water level in the lake had fallen by about 10 meters, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Some 469 people are confirmed dead so far in Nepal, while nearly 1,500 are still missing, including police personnel.

More than 1,500 people have been rescued, Nepalese police posted online.

The Nepal Army has intensified rescue operations since this morning to find people trapped in the Rasuwa Hydro Power Project (Hydro) tunnel due to flooding.

A Nepal Army team, braving challenging terrain and dangerous conditions, has so far safely rescued two people from the… pic.twitter.com/8vlER7VKy7 — Sahil Patel (@SahilpatelCA) August 28, 2026 More than 13,000 army and police personnel are engaged in the search and rescue effort in Nepal.

Helicopter rescue missions, which have successfully pulled to safety hundreds of people stranded in the mud and buildings in the last 48 hours, also resumed after the pause.

Heroic rescue! A man stranded on an excavator in a fast-flowing, muddy river was saved after brave firefighters threw him a life jacket and safety rope, pulling him through the current to shore. 🌊 #Rescue #HeroicRescue #Flood #EmergencyResponse #China pic.twitter.com/Ypbqva2qRG — Bappy Boks (@bappyboks) August 28, 2026 China paused rescue operations at the Gyirong Port, which is now completely buried in mud.

CCTV said rescue teams had been ordered to stand by and wait for further instructions.

Emergency teams at the location of the disaster were ordered to withdraw one kilometer.

Beijing said rescuers were pushing toward the disaster zone, which has lost road connectivity, but has not updated its casualty figures since Thursday, when it said that 558 people including 260 foreigners were missing, with three confirmed dead.