Number of missing in Nepal, China floods soars to nearly 3,000

A deadly flood, akin to a tsunami, swept through the Himalayan region of Nepal and China, leaving an estimated 2,999 people missing. Rescuers in both nations continue to search for the missing, with 633 bodies recovered thus far. In Nepal, 933 hydropower workers are listed as missing, joining trekkers and pilgrims to Tibet's Mount Kailash.

Those who escaped describe losing everything and facing an agonizing wait to learn about the fate of their missing loved ones. One survivor, Buddhi Ram Dangol, stated, "All the settlements near the river were swept away. There is nothing left." The trauma of the catastrophe has been immense, with up to 93,000 people potentially affected, according to the Red Cross, and the death toll expected to rise.

Emergency teams are racing against time to rescue survivors from affected zones, where food and water supplies are dwindling. The disaster also created huge lakes, posing a threat to emergency workers in the search for survivors. Nepal's military managed to evacuate 350 workers from the Trishuli 3A hydropower project, but more than a hundred remain trapped.

Across the border in Tibet, where foreign journalists are restricted, seven people died and 554 are still missing, with 555 stranded tourists and 499 Chinese residents rescued. The flood has impacted scores of Hindu devotees on their pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, with many stranded on the border.