Fatalities rise as Nepal rescuers hunt for survivors of devastating flood

Trishuli, Nepal - The search for survivors continued on Thursday in the aftermath of a devastating flash flood that claimed over a thousand lives in Nepal and neighboring China. More than 1,000 people remain missing in the wake of a massive wall of ice, mud, and rock that crashed into a mountain river on Wednesday, sweeping away a road utilized by trekkers and pilgrims to connect Kathmandu with Lhasa in Tibet.

Rescuers utilized helicopters to scour the debris-strewn valleys and hillsides, while emergency supplies were dropped to those isolated in towns and communities. The death toll, as reported by local media, stood at 359, with numerous bodies washed downstream and subsequently recovered. Nepal's Home Minister Sudhan Gurung emphasized the priority of locating survivors, as rescue teams had already found 100 Indian visitors, primarily pilgrims, and 25 Chinese workers among the missing in the hardest-hit area near Trishuli.