Nepal flood death toll rises to 900, more than 4,700 missing: disaster authority

KATHMANDU, Nepal — Rescue operations were ramping up in the aftermath of devastating floods that struck Nepal and Tibet, resulting in a staggering death toll and a large number of missing individuals. Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet, a spokesman for Nepal's army, reported that they were tirelessly searching for and rescuing stranded people from elevated terrains, settlements, and river regions.

Foreign rescue teams were also deploying to aid local efforts in recovering workers trapped within hydropower tunnels. At least 90 individuals are believed to be trapped in various tunnels of hydropower plants. According to Nepal's disaster agency, a total of 903 fatalities had been confirmed within the country, with 4,247 people, including 592 foreigners, still unaccounted for.

On Sunday, Chinese authorities revealed that 16 of their citizens had perished and 546 were missing, with 261 of the latter group being foreigners, encompassing more than a hundred Nepalis as well. The catastrophic floods were triggered by a glacial collapse in the Himalayan region, with scientists analyzing satellite images confirming that the bedrock beneath a glacier in the high Himalayas had disintegrated, causing a portion of the glacier to topple.