Nepal orders rescuers to safety as overflow brings new flood risks and death toll climbs to 472

Nepal has ordered rescuers searching for survivors of deadly floods to seek safety following the burst of a debris dam in Tibet, raising the risk of further torrential rains. Emergency teams have recovered 472 bodies after a tsunami-like wall of water and mud swept through Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday, destroying homes, bridges and vehicles.

Over 1,400 people remain missing, including trekkers in the Himalayas and Hindu pilgrims heading to Tibet's Mount Kailash. The disaster, the deadliest for Nepal since the 2015 earthquake, was caused by a glacial collapse that released a massive flow of icy debris. Nepali police urged all rescuers to "immediately move to a safe location," after receiving intelligence that another dam had burst on the Tibetan side.

China had earlier paused its rescue operation in the hardest-hit area of Gyirong due to the risk of renewed flooding.