The death toll from Nepal’s catastrophic flood disaster has surpassed 1,350, as rescue teams continue searching for thousands of people still missing in one of the country’s deadliest natural disasters in recent history. The disaster was triggered by a massive glacier collapse in the Himalayas, unleashing devastating flash floods and debris flows across several districts near the Nepal-Tibet border.
Authorities said more than 4,800 people remain missing, while thousands of others have been injured or displaced. Rescue operations involving the Nepal Army, police, and international teams from several countries are continuing despite extremely difficult conditions, including unstable terrain, mud, and damaged infrastructure.
Search efforts have focused on hydropower project sites, where hundreds of workers are feared trapped inside tunnels buried by floodwaters and debris. In a rare breakthrough, rescuers recently pulled several survivors from flooded tunnels after they had been trapped for nearly 10 days, raising hopes that more people could still be found alive.
The floods have destroyed roads, bridges, homes, and hydropower facilities, severely disrupting transportation and electricity supply across affected regions. Thousands of families have been forced into temporary shelters, while authorities continue to distribute food, drinking water, and medical assistance to survivors.
The Nepalese government has appealed for continued international assistance as recovery efforts are expected to take months. Experts say the disaster highlights the growing threat posed by climate change and glacier instability in the Himalayan region, warning that similar extreme events could become more frequent in the future.