KATHMANDU: Nepal has temporarily suspended search and rescue operations due to heavy rain and poor visibility following a devastating flood in the Himalayan region bordering Tibet that has killed hundreds of people and left thousands missing.
The disaster, triggered by a glacier collapse on Wednesday, sent a massive torrent of water, rocks, ice, mud and debris through mountain river systems, destroying buildings, bridges, roads and power infrastructure. At least 626 people have been killed in Nepal, while seven deaths have been reported in China’s Tibet region.
Nearly 3,000 people remain missing, including around 2,426 in Nepal and at least 558 in Tibet’s Gyirong County. At least 540 foreigners are among those missing, many of them Hindu pilgrims from India.
Narendra Pariyar, the senior bureaucrat in the badly affected Rasuwa district, said rescue operations had been temporarily halted because of rain and dense fog. Authorities are currently focusing on arranging land transport to move rescued pilgrims and other survivors to Kathmandu.
Rescue efforts were also briefly suspended on Friday after a lake formed along the Nepal-China border began overflowing into the Lhende Khola and Trishuli rivers. Authorities are monitoring two lakes upstream of the affected area and have warned that flood risks could continue until both lakes drain completely.
China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported that one of the lakes was shrinking, although a Chinese geohazards expert warned that it could remain unstable. More than 100 glacial lakes in the surrounding region could also pose additional risks.
Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said the country was not seeking outside assistance for general search and rescue operations but urgently needed specialised technical support.
“We have already made requests for such specialised services and technical assistance in areas where we don’t have enough expertise and technical know-how,” Khanal said.
The requested assistance includes rescuing people trapped inside tunnels, restoring damaged transport and communication links, identifying bodies, conducting DNA testing and providing facilities to preserve bodies for longer periods.
India has responded with emergency assistance, sending three flights carrying around 60 tonnes of relief supplies, including blankets, medicines, food and water-purification tablets. New Delhi also plans to deploy tunnel-rescue and medical teams and has offered disaster-response personnel, prefabricated bridges and technical teams to help restore connectivity.
China has called for emergency assistance to affected areas and greater international cooperation in rescue operations.
The scale of the destruction is expected to create a major financial burden for Nepal. Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle said the government’s initial estimate indicated that the country could require between $4 billion and $5 billion for reconstruction.
“This is just an estimate. Loss and damage is being assessed,” Wagle said.
Meanwhile, Chinese authorities are continuing efforts to locate more than 500 people reported missing in Tibet.
Rescue teams reached the worst-hit Gyirong border crossing complex on Friday after navigating mountains and valleys and using ropes to cross forests and cliffs. Roads leading to the strategically important crossing were destroyed by the flood.
Surveillance footage from the border complex showed powerful torrents of water and debris sweeping through buildings as people attempted to escape the disaster.
Authorities in Nepal and China continue to assess the damage while monitoring upstream glacial lakes and working to restore critical transport and communication links in the affected Himalayan region.
