Rescuers dig into tunnel as missing toll from Nepal, China flood tops 3,000

Rescuers in Nepal and China scrambled through muck and rising waters on Sunday to locate the thousands of people missing following a catastrophic flood that ravaged the Himalayas. A combined team of Nepali police and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) recovered cash and documents from a bank submerged in sludge at Trishuli, in Nepal's Nuwakot district, on August 30, 2026.

Recent figures from both nations put the number of missing souls at 3,044, with an additional 750 confirmed fatalities, and reports suggesting bodies may have been carried as far as India. The disaster, which erupted at the China-Nepal border on Wednesday, was triggered by a glacial collapse, unleashing a torrent of water and debris downstream, according to the US Geological Survey.

Chinese rescuers near the Tibet border port that endured a deadly mudslide were evacuated to a secure location after a new lake formed due to a landslide, as reported by state media. Nepali army personnel and engineers were laboring on Sunday to rescue workers possibly trapped in a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric site, following a successful insertion of a pipe into the passage.

They have initiated the process of sending air through the opening, according to Nepal's Home Minister Sudan Gurung. Torrential rain and rising river levels hampered rescue attempts early on Sunday, inundating the excavation site with water before conditions improved, allowing teams to resume efforts. In a region teeming with energy infrastructure projects, the Nepali disaster authority listed 933 hydropower workers among the missing.

Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported on Sunday that scientists have determined that a glacier on the southern slope of Lirung Peak in Nepal fractured, triggering an ice-rock avalanche. The torrent swiftly plummeted, forming a massive debris flow that traveled over 20 kilometers before crashing into Gyirong Port. UN climate chief Simon Steill expressed concern, stating, "The sudden glacial collapse and flash flood is a devastating reminder of how fragile these mountain environments can be."

Survivors now face a daunting wait to learn the fate of their missing loved ones and the daunting prospect of rebuilding their lives from scratch. Buddhi Ram Dangol, a survivor in Nepal's Nuwakot district, recounted, "All the settlements near the river were swept away. There is nothing left." At an army base serving as a rescue hub in Bidur, relatives gathered around lists of rescued individuals pasted on a wall, desperately scanning for their loved ones.

Kalka Sharda, a desperate mother searching for her son, said, "I have come here looking for my son." On Sunday, Nepal's disaster authority reported that 589 foreigners, including trekkers and Hindu pilgrims heading to Tibet's sacred Mount Kailash, were unaccounted for. The Isha Foundation, led by Indian guru Sadhguru, announced on Saturday that 80 members of a group had been on a trip in the area.

"At this time, there seems to be no encouraging indications of survivors at the immigration office area," the post stated. The United States and Canada pledged $3.6 million each in humanitarian aid to Nepal, while the UK offered $6.8 million, and the UN released $2.5 million in emergency funding. The European Union pledged $2.3 million, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) allocated over $1 million and launched an emergency appeal for $31 million.

Nepal's economy is already under strain, with limited resources to cope with this scale of disaster, and Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal warned that the reconstruction bill could run into "billions of dollars." He urgently called for specialized assistance, such as heavy-lift drones and technology to locate trapped individuals. Malaysia offered to send search and rescue specialists and contributed $1 million to Nepal's recovery efforts and victims.

Khanal also requested forensic testing kits to identify bodies and freezer units to store them, citing the accelerated decomposition of bodies that have been submerged in water. The deluge of ice and mud created massive lakes, and one of these formations has become a new risk of further flooding. Both Chinese and Nepali foreign ministers discussed sharing satellite and hydrological data on Saturday to enhance their disaster response efforts.