Missing in Nepal-China Floods Surges to Nearly 3,000

The number of people reported missing after catastrophic flash floods and mudslides along the Nepal-China border has risen to more than 3,000, while the death toll has climbed sharply, according to authorities and international news reports.

Rescue workers have been searching through mud and debris after devastating floods and glacial flows struck communities along the Nepal-China border. [Photo: CCTV / Wikimedia Commons]

The disaster struck on Aug. 26 after a major glacial event triggered devastating flooding and debris flows across northern Nepal and parts of China's Tibet region. Search-and-rescue operations have continued as authorities work to locate thousands of people who remain unaccounted for.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said an estimated 93,000 people may have been affected in Nepal.

By Aug. 30, Nepalese authorities had reported 2,502 people missing, while Chinese authorities reported 546 missing in Tibet. Combined, the number of people unaccounted for was more than 3,000.

Death toll figures were also rising rapidly, with Nepal reporting hundreds of deaths and China reporting 16 deaths in Tibet.

Rescue teams have been working in difficult terrain, with mud, damaged roads and bridges, rising rivers and the threat of additional flooding complicating operations. In Nepal, rescuers have also been working to reach people believed to be trapped inside hydropower tunnels.

The IFRC said about 93,000 people may have been affected by the flooding in Nepal and launched a CHF25 million emergency appeal to support relief operations.

The disaster has also left foreign nationals missing in both Nepal and Tibet. Chinese authorities reported 261 foreign nationals among those missing in Tibet.