Nepal-China Floods Leave 633 Dead and Nearly 3,000 Missing

Rescue teams operating along the Himalayan border districts faced compounding hazards on Saturday as emergency response efforts entered a critical fourth day. The disaster, triggered by a glacier collapse that sent a torrent of ice, mud, and water crashing into the Bhotekoshi river, has left communities buried and families desperate for news of their relatives.

Updated figures released by Nepali authorities on Saturday put the combined death toll in Nepal and Tibet at 633, with nearly 3,000 people missing, as reported by the Associated Press. Meanwhile, Chinese authorities confirmed seven deaths and more than 550 missing on the northern side of the border.

Helicopter Resurgences and Mud-Choked Tunnels in Nuwakot and Rasuwa

In Nuwakot, one of the districts hardest hit by the surging waters, military helicopters resumed operations before noon on Saturday after poor weather temporarily grounded aerial missions. Aircraft landed regularly to drop off emergency supplies—including boxes of rice, instant noodles, crackers, and clothing—while evacuating survivors to established relief camps.

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Video footage from the scene captured camouflage-clad soldiers sliding across thick, dark brown mud on their bellies to pull survivors free from the inundated structure. Despite the harsh conditions, rescue personnel managed to extract people from the tunnel complex so far, according to updates from the ground.

Hospital Notice Boards and Agonizing Searches in Kathmandu

Far from the disaster zone in Kathmandu, relatives flooded the grounds outside the main government hospital beginning early Saturday morning. Hospital walls became covered with hand-posted flyers, photographs, and contact numbers as families sought any trace of missing relatives. Officials also displayed photographs of unindentified bodies on nearby boards for potential recognition.

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Gajendra Rawat, a security official stationed at the hospital help desk, noted that families had registered approximately 1,600 missing persons at that location alone, with people arriving from every corner of the country. Among them was Dil Maya Lama, who traveled 130 kilometers from Ramechhap to search for her 26-year-old brother, a hydropower company driver in Rasuwa.

“I came here with the hope that I might find him. There is no information about him.”

Dil Maya Lama, family member searching for missing brother

Nearby, military personnel taped sheets of paper listing names of the missing and dead directly to relief center walls in Nuwakot. Crowds pressed forward to read the updates, with many documenting the lists on their phones through tears. Rajesh Kumar Ram searched desperately through the names for his son, hoping, by chance that my son is somewhere according to interviews gathered by the Associated Press.

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Cross-Border Operations and Overflowing Mountain Lakes

On the northern side of the frontier, a specialized Chinese rescue team consisting of firefighters and a search dog arrived at Gyirong Port, an area heavily submerged by an initial avalanche of rock, ice, and debris. State media reported that the unit utilized water, land, and air assets, employing inflatable boats, heavy-lift drones, and foot patrols to navigate the devastated border post.

The operational environment remained volatile throughout Saturday due to threats from a newly formed high-altitude lake. Formed by debris from the initial glacier collapse, the lake sits more than 10 kilometers from Gyirong Port at an elevation of 2,950 meters. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV noted that while the body of water temporarily overflowed its banks and triggered precautionary work stoppages, monitoring data later showed the water level had dropped by 10 meters from its peak.

The Nepalese government announced it had reversed an earlier stance, confirming it would now welcome foreign rescue teams and specialized experts to assist with the ongoing search operations, responding to international pressure, as detailed in coverage by WRAL.

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Rebuilding Estimates and Returning to Decimated Villages

As recovery efforts press forward, the sheer scale of infrastructural loss is becoming clear.

Back in Trishuli, where more than 100 homes were flattened, some residents braved the mud-choked streets to see what personal belongings might survive.

“It was apocalyptic. I have seen Hollywood movies where people are running away and walls of water are chasing them, but never in real life.”

Amrish Kumar Talwar, Trishuli shop owner

Amid the devastation, brief moments of relief emerged as villagers located pets left behind during the initial evacuation. Shoba Shretha returned to her ruined property to find her dog, Sweetie, waiting, and fed the animal water from a bottle while sitting in the mud. As excavation machinery cleared the entrance to Trishuli to press deeper into the ruins, thousands of families across Nepal remained encamped near barracks and hospitals, waiting for word on loved ones trapped beneath the debris.