RismadarVoice Reporters
September 6, 2026
Rescue teams in Nepal and China are continuing a race against time to locate thousands of people still missing nearly two weeks after devastating floods triggered by a suspected glacial collapse along the China-Nepal border.
The disaster has killed at least 1,384 people across the two countries, while more than 5,500 others remain missing, including hundreds of foreign nationals, according to authorities.
In Nepal, the national disaster agency said rescuers had recovered 1,341 bodies and were still searching for nearly 5,000 missing people in some of the worst-hit areas.
On the Chinese side, authorities reported that 43 people had died in Tibet, with 519 others still unaccounted for.
Search operations have been slowed by difficult terrain, heavy mud, poor weather conditions and the threat of further landslides.
In Nepal, rescue workers have recovered four survivors since Friday, including three people found alive inside tunnels at hydropower facilities. Authorities said search teams continue to face challenges caused by damaged infrastructure, difficult geography and limited access.
Nepal’s Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha said rescue efforts at flooded hydropower tunnels were ongoing despite the difficult conditions.
“Search and rescue is going on at the tunnels despite geography, adverse weather and lack of connectivity,” he said.
In China’s Tibet region, rescuers are working through thick mud and debris to find missing people. At Gyirong, a major land border crossing between China and Nepal, a five-storey customs building was destroyed, with rescue teams using excavators, shovels and ground-penetrating radar in their search efforts.
The road leading to Gyirong was reopened earlier in the week, allowing heavy rescue equipment to reach the affected area.
NEPAL SEEKS INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE SUPPORT
Nepal has appealed for international assistance through a United Nations-backed climate disaster funding mechanism, arguing that the scale of destruction requires global support.
The country has requested assistance from the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, established to support developing nations vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
The United Nations has also appealed for $50 million in emergency support to assist more than 84,000 people affected by the disaster.
Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said countries with major historical greenhouse gas emissions have a responsibility to support vulnerable nations facing climate-related disasters.
Experts have linked the increasing frequency of glacier-related floods to rising global temperatures, with a United Nations study indicating that such events have become significantly more common since 1950.
Climate experts say disasters of this scale force developing countries to divert resources meant for healthcare, education and development towards emergency response and recovery efforts.
SURVIVORS FACE LONG RECOVERY
Beyond the rescue operations, survivors are beginning to deal with the emotional impact of the disaster.
In Kathmandu, a Buddhist monastery converted into a temporary shelter has provided refuge for hundreds of displaced people, including children who lost family members, homes and livelihoods.
Aid workers say many survivors are still processing the trauma, with emotional effects likely to emerge over time as communities begin rebuilding their lives.
Authorities in both Nepal and China continue to search through collapsed buildings, tunnels and debris as families wait for news of missing relatives.
