Rescuers dig into tunnel as missing toll from Nepal, China flood tops 3,000

Rescuers in Nepal and China searched through mud and rising rivers on Sunday for thousands missing after a glacial collapse sent a wall of water and debris through Himalayan villages. Latest figures from both countries put the number of missing at 3,048, including hundreds of foreigners, with 768 confirmed dead.

How many people are missing in the Nepal-China floods?

Nepal and China have listed 3,048 people as missing since the flood struck Wednesday, among them 592 foreigners including trekkers and pilgrims heading to Mount Kailash. Confirmed deaths stood at 768 by Sunday, with officials warning some bodies may have been swept as far downstream as India.

What caused the Nepal-China flood and what is happening at the tunnel?

The disaster struck the China-Nepal border on Wednesday morning after a glacial collapse sent a wall of water and debris downstream, the US Geological Survey said. Xinhua reported that a glacier on the southern slope of Lirung Peak fractured, triggering an ice-rock avalanche that formed a debris flow travelling more than 20 kilometres before crashing into Gyirong Port. Nepali army troops and engineers drilled through debris on Sunday toward hydropower workers believed trapped in a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A site, successfully inserting a pipe and sending air through the opening, Home Minister Sudan Gurung said.

Overnight rain and rising river waters had hampered the effort earlier on Sunday, filling the excavation area with water before conditions eased, the Nepal army said. Nepal's disaster authority listed 933 hydropower workers among the missing in an area home to major energy infrastructure projects.

What is the situation in Tibet and among missing foreigners?

Chinese rescuers near the Tibet border port hit by the mudslide were moved to a safe location on Sunday after a new lake formed from a landslide, state media reported. Rescue operations were paused at the hardest-hit Gyirong area over fears of further flooding, though state broadcaster CCTV said late Saturday the lake was discharging naturally and had been essentially drained. A total of 2,141 rescuers were stationed near the Gyirong site, Xinhua reported.

Nepal's disaster authority said 592 foreigners were among the missing, including trekkers and Hindu pilgrims bound for Mount Kailash. The Isha Foundation, led by Indian guru Sadhguru, said in an Instagram post that 80 of its members had been on a group trip in the area, adding there were no encouraging signs of survivors near the immigration office.

How are survivors and governments responding to the disaster?

Resident Buddhi Ram Dangol told AFP in Nuwakot district that all settlements near the river had been swept away, leaving nothing behind. Worried relatives crowded around lists of rescued people posted at an army base serving as a rescue hub in Bidur. Nepal began burying some of the hundreds of recovered bodies on Sunday after taking DNA samples so families could later identify and reclaim them.

The United States and Canada pledged $3.6 million each in humanitarian aid, while the UK offered $6.8 million and the UN released $2.5 million in emergency funding. Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said Nepal's reconstruction bill could run into billions of dollars and appealed for heavy-lift drones and forensic testing kits. Chinese and Nepali foreign ministers agreed on Saturday to share satellite and hydrological data, both sides said.

Nepal reported 752 deaths and 2,502 people unaccounted for by Sunday, while Tibet reported 16 deaths and 546 missing, according to CCTV. Authorities said they evacuated 555 stranded tourists and 499 Chinese residents from Tibet, and Indian officials said they recovered seven bodies believed to be flood victims from rivers flowing out of Nepal.