Rescue teams pulled survivors from thick layers of mud while helicopters evacuated stranded people as Nepal and China continued emergency operations following devastating flash floods along their border. The disaster has killed nearly 600 people, while almost 2,500 others remain missing.
Rescuers in China descended by ropes into the badly damaged Gyirong border-crossing area, where floodwaters destroyed much of the site. Officials remained on alert because a newly formed lake in the Himalayan mountains posed a further flooding threat after a glacier collapse triggered the initial disaster.
In Nepal, the army was sent to Rasuwa district to rescue more than 100 people believed to be trapped inside a tunnel at the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project. Thick mud and debris have made access extremely difficult.
Nepal's disaster-management authority reported 579 deaths, while police later gave a death toll of 553. On the Chinese side, state media reported that seven people had died. More than 3,700 people have been rescued in Nepal, while the number of missing people there rose to 1,924. China reported another 554 people missing.
Authorities said many of those unaccounted for are foreigners who had traveled to the region for work, trekking or religious pilgrimages.
Nepal also changed its earlier position and agreed to allow foreign rescue teams and experts to assist with the recovery effort, according to The Kathmandu Post. The move reportedly followed pressure from countries whose citizens remain missing.
Authorities warn of another possible flood
Nepali police issued a new warning after reports that a dam on the Tibetan side had burst. Rescue and security personnel were instructed to remain alert and move to safer locations if necessary.
The warning came amid concerns about a lake formed after the initial flash floods. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that the lake was located more than 10 kilometers from Gyirong Port at an elevation of about 2,950 meters.
Officials had feared that the lake could overflow and send additional water and debris downstream. Rescue teams were temporarily ordered to stop moving toward some areas while authorities assessed the danger. Later monitoring showed that the lake's water level had fallen by about 10 meters from its peak.
Hundreds of rescuers eventually reached the devastated Gyirong area on foot, by raft and with assistance from drones. The extent of casualties at the border checkpoint remained unclear.
Thousands evacuated as rescue operations continue
In Nepal's Rasuwa district, soldiers faced major difficulties while searching for people trapped inside the hydropower tunnel. The army said it had already rescued 350 people from the tunnel.
Footage showed rescuers helping a mud-covered survivor out of the underground passage. Army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet said the entrances and exits were difficult to locate because they had been buried beneath mud.
Nepal's disaster-management authorities said 3,253 people had been evacuated by helicopter from affected areas.
Neighboring countries have also provided financial assistance. Sri Lanka, despite facing its own financial difficulties, contributed $1 million to Nepal's relief efforts, according to a United Nations official.
Survivors describe the sudden disaster
Scientists examining satellite imagery concluded that a collapse of bedrock beneath a Himalayan glacier caused part of the glacier to fall. The massive rockfall reportedly registered as a magnitude 5.2 event. The resulting surge of rock and melted water pushed rivers beyond their limits, sending powerful torrents through valleys in Tibet and Nepal.
Karbir Gaire, a customs officer in Timure, one of the closest Nepalese villages to the Chinese border, described feeling the ground shake before seeing what appeared to be a dark wall of debris and water.
He and his colleagues immediately ran uphill. Gaire said the few seconds they had to escape likely saved their lives. However, 15 of his colleagues remain missing.
Families wait for information about missing relatives
Nepal's tourism authorities said more than 500 foreigners were among those missing.
Information about casualties on the Chinese side has been more limited, with Chinese state media primarily reporting on rescue operations and government instructions.
Around 90 Americans were reportedly unaccounted for. Some missing people may have been traveling to or returning from Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred destination for several religions.
Indian spiritual leader Jaggi Vasudev, known as Sadhguru, said 77 people traveling with groups organized by his Isha Foundation were at the Gyirong immigration center when the flooding occurred.
Vishnuram Ramaswamy, from the southern Indian city of Puducherry, said his mother and two sisters were among those on the pilgrimage. He last spoke with them on Wednesday morning.
“This was the last we spoke to them. They have been unreachable since,” he said.