Nepal families search for relatives after devastating floods

On a normal school day, Gyan Deep Sapkota, an 11th grade student, heard his teachers yelling about an approaching flash flood. The Trishuli river, where the school city Bidur is located, had the Bhotekoshi upstream. Teachers urged students to leave, with some crossing a small bridge to safety while others headed to higher ground.

Some students suffered panic attacks and fainted. Gyan later recounted his harrowing experience to Al Jazeera. The suspected glacial lake outburst caused widespread devastation, killing about 180 people and leaving at least 1,400 missing across a vast region spanning Nepal and Tibet in China. The death toll and number of missing are expected to grow as water levels recede and connectivity is restored.

Among the missing are police, government employees, hydropower engineers, and foreign tourists, including hundreds in Nepal. By late Wednesday, the Nepal Police reported recovering 95 bodies, with most found downstream. The search for missing individuals, particularly Indian tourists on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrimage, continues as authorities scramble to establish access to the worst-hit areas.