Nepal's disaster agency confirmed over 1,000 deaths from severe flooding along the Tibetan border, with more than 600 workers feared trapped in hydropower tunnels. International rescue teams continue efforts to locate the missing amid challenging conditions.
The death toll from flooding that struck Nepal near its border with Tibet has surpassed 1,000 people, according to the country's official disaster management agency. The catastrophic event has left authorities grappling with a massive search and rescue operation, as more than 3,900 individuals remain unaccounted for across the affected region.
Among the missing are over 600 workers believed to be trapped within an extensive system of mud-clogged tunnels at hydropower facilities situated along the Trishuli River. Rescue teams have deployed air-pumping equipment into the tunnel networks in an attempt to sustain survivors, though initial efforts have yielded limited results. During one breakthrough on Monday, a team managed to access a tunnel connected to a hydropower installation but found no survivors inside, prompting their withdrawal from the site.
So far, approximately 900 bodies have been recovered from the disaster zone, though identification efforts have progressed slowly—only 4 percent have been formally identified according to Nepal's Ministry of Health. Prime Minister Balendra Shah reported that 279 individuals had been successfully rescued from hydropower sites. The operation involves a large international contingent, with Chinese and Nepalese military units leading efforts supplemented by specialists from India, South Korea, and Australia.
The flooding damaged at least 11 hydropower projects in various stages of completion, dealing a significant blow to Nepal's energy infrastructure. The nation has invested heavily in hydropower development across its mountainous river systems in recent years. Prime Minister Shah characterized the disaster as an exceptional event, linking the catastrophe to climate change impacts in the Himalayan region and suggesting that such risks are escalating.