Nepal flash floods: Death toll rises to 1,252 as more bodies recovered

KATHMANDU - Catastrophic floods at the China-Nepal border have claimed the lives of at least 1,252 people in Nepal, disaster authorities reported on Thursday, pushing overall fatalities to over 1,270. Chinese state media earlier confirmed 21 fatalities in Tibet, making the total death toll from the disaster that occurred on August 26 to 1,273.

In Nepal, 4,216 people are still unaccounted for, with rescue operations ongoing on an extensive scale. Chinese sources report 541 individuals missing, raising the overall count to 4,757. Nearly 600 foreigners from over 30 nationalities are also missing, with a significant number of them being Indians. American citizens are also among those unaccounted for, with the State Department reporting 75 Americans missing.

Desperate families of missing foreigners in Kathmandu have been scouring hospitals and morgues for any information about their loved ones. Sanjeev Rai, a 53-year-old American, flew to Nepal after learning that his wife could not be traced. He expressed his desperation, stating, "It's been so many days."

The floods, which swept through mountain districts, have damaged roads, bridges, and other infrastructure, complicating relief efforts. Aid agencies are contemplating the deployment of porters and helicopters to deliver aid to the hardest-hit regions near the China border. Lila Pieters Yahia, the UN resident coordinator for Nepal, discussed the possibility of using helicopters and cargo drones for aid delivery in an interview with reporters in Kathmandu.

She emphasized the importance of relying on traditional means like porters to reach remote areas swiftly.

Nepali army personnel and rescue teams, including foreign experts, continued searching on Thursday for survivors trapped inside several hydropower tunnels. The search effort involved the use of excavators and heavy equipment to locate any survivors in the tunnels. The Nepal army reported that the work was ongoing.