Rescue operations continued in Nepal and China on Saturday as authorities sought to locate nearly 3,000 people reported missing following a devastating glacial collapse along the Tibet-Nepal border earlier this week. The disaster, which struck on Wednesday, unleashed a powerful flood of water, mud, and debris that swept through several Himalayan villages, destroying settlements and infrastructure, including multiple hydropower projects.
According to Nepalese officials, the number of missing individuals stands close to 3,000, with 933 hydropower workers and 517 foreigners, including trekkers and Hindu pilgrims journeying to Tibet’s sacred Mount Kailash, among those unaccounted for. Nepal has so far recovered 675 bodies, while Chinese authorities reported seven deaths and 554 missing people in the adjacent region of Tibet. In India, where some floodwaters traveled downstream, officials confirmed the recovery of seven bodies believed to be victims of the disaster.
On the Nepalese side, the situation remains critical, especially at the Trishuli 3A and 3B hydropower sites, where more than 100 workers may still be trapped inside tunnels clogged with mud and debris. In a recent development, the Nepali army managed to insert a pipe into a tunnel at Trishuli 3A, enabling air to be pumped in as excavation efforts began to facilitate a rescue operation. Government officials noted that specialized assistance, including heavy-lift drones and forensic technology, was urgently needed to aid rescuers in locating survivors and to manage the identification and storage of bodies, as water exposure is accelerating decomposition.
Rescue teams, including Nepal’s mountain rescue experts accustomed to aiding climbers in perilous conditions, as well as specialized units from India and teams expected from China, are collaborating in the search. Efforts are complicated by thick mud and ongoing floods, with concerns that additional flooding may occur due to unstable glacial lakes formed by the collapse.
Survivors and relatives of the missing face a grim reality as entire settlements were reportedly swept away by the deluge. Families gathered at rescue centers, anxiously awaiting news of loved ones. Some, like Kalka Sharda from Bidur, expressed deep despair after failing to find any information about missing family members working at the hydropower plants.
The disaster also drew international condolences, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait expressing solidarity with Nepal and extending sympathies to those affected. Meanwhile, emergency responders continue their work amid challenging conditions, hoping to save lives and assist communities as they begin the arduous process of recovery and rebuilding following one of the deadliest natural disasters in recent Himalayan history.