Kathmandu: Rescuers in Nepal and China on Saturday continued to search for the nearly 3,000 people missing after devastating flooding along the border with China engulfed entire villages earlier this week. At least 682 bodies were recovered in both countries, including 675 in Nepal and seven in China.
According to France24.com, rescuers in Nepal and China were battling to locate thousands of people missing days after a deadly, tsunami-like wall of water and debris swept through the Himalayan region. The flood, which sources attribute to a glacial collapse, has resulted in reports of some of the deceased possibly being swept downstream as far away as India. In a significant development, the Nepali army managed to insert a pipe into a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric site, where workers are believed to be trapped.
The Nepali army is utilizing helicopters to rescue flood survivors and has started sending air through the small opening to begin excavation work. Focused rescue efforts are centered around the Trishuli 3A and 3B sites, where more than 100 workers may still be alive and trapped inside such tunnels.
The US Geological Survey identified a glacial collapse as the cause of the deadly torrent at the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday. While the exact cause remains unclear, climate change is causing glaciers to melt worldwide, increasing the risk of such disasters. UN climate chief Simon Steill emphasized the fragility of mountain environments and the effects of climate change, which increases the likelihood of such tragedies.
Survivors face an agonizing wait to learn the fate of their missing relatives and the prospect of rebuilding their lives from scratch. In Nepal’s Nuwakot district, Buddhi Ram Dangol described how “all the settlements near the river were swept away,” leaving nothing behind. At an army base in Bidur, relatives crowd around lists of rescued people, holding onto desperate hope.
Nepal’s disaster authority reported 933 hydropower workers among the missing, along with 517 foreigners, including trekkers and Hindu pilgrims. The Isha Foundation reported that 80 members were on a group trip in the affected area, with no encouraging indications of survivors at the immigration office area at the Chinese border port of Gyirong.
Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal estimated the reconstruction bill could run into “billions of dollars” and emphasized the urgency of rescue efforts, appealing for specialized assistance. Fears of further flooding have compounded the search for the missing, with huge lakes formed by the deluge posing additional risks.
In Tibet, Chinese authorities temporarily paused rescue operations at the hardest-hit area of Gyirong due to the risk of more flooding from a newly formed lake. However, state broadcaster CCTV later reported that the lake was “discharging naturally” and had been “essentially drained.”
Across the border in Tibet, seven people died, and 554 remain missing. Authorities evacuated 555 stranded tourists and 499 Chinese residents from the region. In India, officials recovered seven bodies from rivers flowing from Nepal, believed to be flood victims.
As hope fades for some awaiting news, Kalka Sharda continues to search for his 18-year-old son, Vinod Sharda, a hydropower plant laborer. “I don’t think there is any hope left,” he said, expressing despair over the lack of communication from his son.