Two Israelis remain missing in Nepal following a devastating flood caused by a glacier collapse along the Nepal-China border, the Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed Monday. The second missing individual is a woman, and Israel’s consul in Kathmandu is maintaining contact with her family and local authorities as rescue efforts continue.
The disaster, which struck last Wednesday, has resulted in widespread destruction and has been linked to the collapse of a glacier in the Himalayan region. In Nepal alone, the disaster has claimed over 900 lives, while thousands remain unaccounted for. Nepal’s Foreign Ministry reported that 590 foreign nationals from 39 countries are missing, with 323 having been rescued thus far. On the Chinese side, authorities said 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries are unaccounted for in Tibet near a crucial border crossing with Nepal.
Rescue teams from both Nepal and China are working under challenging conditions, including adverse weather and rising water levels, to locate the missing amidst a landscape transformed by a torrent of ice, rock, mud, and debris. Nepal’s disaster authority stated that 781 people have died and 2,502 remain missing within the country. In Gyirong County on the Chinese side, 16 deaths have been confirmed, with 546 individuals still missing.
The Red Cross estimates that the disaster has affected more than 90,000 people across the border region. Chinese officials have attributed the event in part to the increasing impacts of climate change. Local authorities in Nepal reported that residents and rescue personnel relocated to higher ground after the Trishuli River’s water levels rose due to fresh rainfall on Sunday, raising concerns over additional flooding.
Rescue operations have faced interruptions since Friday because of deteriorating weather and the risk posed by a glacial lake created by the disaster. The lake, which spans the Nepal-China border, began overflowing into Nepal’s Lhende Khola and Trishuli Rivers, prompting fears of further flooding downstream. By Saturday evening, efforts had largely drained the lake, according to local media reports. However, drone surveillance later detected a landslide approximately 2.8 kilometers downstream, forming a new natural dam and accumulating another pool of water, heightening ongoing concerns for downstream communities.