Rescue crews in Nepal, supported by Chinese and Indian specialists, have been working through the night to reach what authorities say could be hundreds of people trapped inside blocked hydropower tunnels after last week’s catastrophic Himalayan flood. The torrent of ice, rock, mud and other debris swept down from the Nepal-Tibet border following what officials blame on a glacier collapse, and it carved a path of destruction across valley towns and villages on both sides of the frontier.
In the immediate aftermath, the deluge was described as unprecedented, and initial tallies indicate it has killed nearly 800 people and left more than 3,000 unaccounted for. Nepali officials later provided updated counts, saying 788 people had died with around 2,500 missing as of Sunday night, a figure that includes more than 900 people reported missing at hydropower projects in the affected area.
Hundreds of bodies, many not yet identified, were buried in shallow graves after the remains began to decompose in the humid plains following being swept downriver by the torrent. The human toll has driven an intensive focus on tunnel rescue efforts, where debris from mud and collapsed rock has sealed off roughly half a dozen hydropower project passages.
Television and social media images shared by teams on the ground showed heavy earth-moving machinery excavating and shovelling at night, floodlights cutting through the darkness as workers and soldiers inspected large pits created to access blocked tunnel heads. In one operation, soldiers used handheld torchlight while probing a deep excavation to find a point of entry into a tunnel. Military units were reported to be using life-detection devices in search operations as well.
"A large amount of debris has been deposited and that is posing us a big challenge to open the tunnels," said Nepal army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet. "Our main focus is on opening the tunnels." Nepal’s disaster management authority said 933 people were missing specifically from hydropower projects in the flood-hit region.
Authorities and relief organizations have also sought to quantify the wider human impact. The Red Cross estimated that more than 90,000 people are likely to have been affected by the disaster. On the Chinese side of the border, local authorities reported that 16 people were killed in Gyirong County and 546 were missing. Beijing has said 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries were unaccounted for in Tibet near the key border crossing.
China has deployed rescue teams to the region and mobilised more than 2,100 rescue workers, according to state media reports, and allocated at least 220 million yuan, or about $33 million, to support relief efforts. Chinese authorities also said they were airdropping equipment and supplies to frontline rescuers.
Despite saying that Nepal does not generally require foreign assistance for search and rescue, Nepali authorities requested and accepted technical support from both of their large neighbours for the specific task of tunnel rescue, where specialised expertise and equipment are often required.
Rescue work has not been continuous. Operations were suspended several times since Friday because of adverse weather and the risk posed by a lake formed along the Nepal-China border by the disaster. That lake reportedly began overflowing into Nepal’s rivers, raising fears of renewed flooding. When conditions improved, work picked up again; Narendra Pariyar, the district administrator of Rasuwa, one of the hardest hit districts, said rescue activity resumed as weather conditions allowed.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah described the flood as an "unprecedented and devastating natural disaster," and said compiling a complete assessment of damage remained challenging. In a social media post late on Sunday he noted the persistence of adverse weather, difficult terrain and continuing risks while saying that authorities were determined to save lives. Nearly 21,000 security personnel were reported to be involved in rescue operations, along with civilian workers and volunteers.
Local communities are also contending with immediate recovery tasks. In the town of Devighat, on the banks of the Trishuli river, residents moved among the shells of former homes trying to salvage belongings from the debris left behind by the flood.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV has linked the event to a glacier collapse and said the event was "caused by glacier instability under the long-term effects of global warming," calling it a "new and prominent feature of cryosphere disasters" on the Tibetan plateau. CCTV reported that the mudslide originating on the Nepal side took six to seven minutes to reach the Gyirong border crossing, citing the findings of Chinese scientists, and broadcast dramatic surveillance footage showing torrents of water and debris engulfing buildings while people tried to flee.
Two Nepali officials told authorities that China had not shared much information on glacier risks and water levels following a meeting earlier this year aimed at strengthening cross-border cooperation, and expressed concern that a lack of data sharing could hinder preparedness for future disasters. China’s foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment on that meeting.
Summary
Rescue teams in Nepal, assisted by specialists from China and India, are concentrating efforts on clearing mud and rock from multiple hydropower tunnels to reach hundreds believed to be trapped after a glacier-linked flood crossed the Nepal-Tibet border. The event has caused extensive loss of life, large numbers missing and widespread disruption, while rescue operations face weather, terrain and debris-related hurdles.
Key points
- Rescue focus - Teams are prioritising opening about half a dozen blocked hydropower tunnels where hundreds of workers are reported missing; heavy equipment and specialised detection tools are in use.
- Human impact - Authorities reported nearly 800 dead and thousands missing, with the Red Cross estimating more than 90,000 people affected; hundreds of bodies have been buried in shallow graves due to decomposition risks.
- Cross-border response - China and India have provided technical assistance; China has mobilised rescue workers and funds while local authorities report casualties and many missing on their side of the border.
Risks and uncertainties
- Rescue interruptions - Operations have been halted repeatedly by bad weather and concerns that an overflow from a newly formed border lake could cause fresh floods, complicating search and recovery - this affects emergency response and infrastructure repair efforts.
- Debris and terrain - Large deposits of mud and rock are blocking tunnel access and hampering rescue work, creating uncertainty about the speed and success of recovering trapped workers and restoring hydropower assets.
- Information gaps - Limited cross-border sharing of glacier risk and water-level data, as reported by Nepali officials, introduces uncertainty for planning and preparedness for future incidents affecting infrastructure and communities.