Rescue efforts intensify after Nepal-Tibet flooding as deaths climb past 900

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Rescue operations are ramping up following catastrophic flooding in Nepal and Tibet, resulting in at least 900 deaths and over 4,700 people still missing. Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet, Nepal's army spokesman, stated that search and rescue efforts are underway for stranded individuals in hills, settlements, and river areas.

Foreign teams are assisting local rescuers to locate workers trapped in hydropower tunnels. As of Monday, Nepal's disaster agency reported 903 fatalities, with 4,247 people, including 592 foreigners, listed as missing. Chinese authorities have confirmed 16 deaths and 546 missing, with 261 of the missing individuals being foreigners, including over a hundred Nepalis.

The flash floods were triggered by a glacial collapse in the Himalayas, causing a magnitude 5.2 earthquake and swelling rivers to inundate buildings, bridges, and earth downstream in both Nepal and Tibet.