China-Nepal flood toll tops 1,000 as tunnel rescue offers last hope
The death toll from devastating Himalayan glacial floods crossed the grim 1,000 mark on Tuesday, as Chinese and Nepali teams searched for survivors including dozens feared trapped in hydropower tunnels. Nearly 4,500 people are missing after the gigantic wave of freezing water, rocks and debris from a high-altitude glacial collapse roared downstream on Wednesday, wiping […]
The death toll from devastating Himalayan glacial floods surpassed 1,000 on Tuesday, as Chinese and Nepali teams continued searching for survivors trapped in hydropower tunnels. Nearly 4,500 people are reported missing after the torrential wave washed away entire settlements in Nepal on Wednesday. Nepali rescue teams are racing against time to free around 100 hydropower workers believed to be trapped in multiple tunnels.
Mortuaries are overflowing, leading authorities to begin burying unidentified bodies after DNA testing. At least 17 bodies were also pulled from rivers in India. Nepali Prime Minister Balendra Shah described the catastrophe as "unimaginable and heartbreaking," with crowds lining up to search for missing relatives in the capital Kathmandu.
The disaster has led to anger in Nepal, a largely rural nation of 30 million people, who have contributed little to global warming but are suffering its consequences. China reported 16 dead and 546 missing, bringing the overall toll to 1,003 dead and 4,462 missing.
Written by urgent.news from Hong Kong Free Press - China's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
