Nepal Floods From Natural Disasters Leave 579 Dead and Nearly 2,000 Missing as Barrier Lake Threatens More Damage
Catastrophic flash floods triggered by a glacier collapse in the Himalayas have killed at least 579 people in Nepal with nearly 2,000 missing amid these natural disasters, while rescuers race to save survivors from mud-buried sites and monitor a new barrier lake threatening further flooding.
Death Toll and Missing Persons Rise Sharply
Nepal’s death toll stands at 579 according to the disaster-management authority or 553 per police, with 1,924 people missing. [1] China reports five deaths and 558 missing. [3] Among the missing are more than 500 foreigners including 90 Americans, 320 Indians and 30 Canadians. [1] [5] Nepal’s tourism board has said that among the missing are more than 500 foreigners. [1]
New Flood Threat From Barrier Lake and Dam Burst Alert
A glacier collapse caused a magnitude 5.2 seismic event that swelled rivers, creating a barrier lake now overflowing and prompting fresh alerts after reports of a Tibet-side dam burst. [1] Nepali police issued a fresh alert Friday after receiving information that a dam on the Tibet side has burst. [1] Security personnel and rescue and relief workers were told to stay on high alert and immediately move to a safe location if necessary. [1] Chinese broadcaster CCTV said the newly-formed lake, located more than 10 kilometres from Gyirong Port, sits at an elevation of 2,950 metres. [1] Nepali and Chinese authorities earlier warned of further flooding from the barrier lake that formed after Wednesday’s disaster and was already overflowing. [1] Monitoring data from the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources showed that the lake had dwindled in size with the water level dropping by 10 metres from the high point on Thursday morning. [1]
Rescue Operations Continue in Mud-Buried Areas
More than 3,700 people have been rescued in Nepal, including over 3,200 airlifted by helicopter. [1] Army teams are working to free more than 100 people trapped in a mud-covered hydropower tunnel. [1] In Nepal’s Rasuwa district, Nepali Army rescuers were struggling to help more than 100 people believed trapped by thick mud in a tunnel that’s part of the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project. [1] The army said it has rescued 350 people from the tunnel so far. [1] Nepal’s disaster management authority said 3,253 people had been airlifted by helicopter from the disaster area. [1] Army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet told the AP the focus was on survivors. [1]
Scale of Destruction and Humanitarian Impact From Natural Disasters
At least 93,000 people are affected with thousands of homes destroyed, over 40 bridges and 40 km of roads damaged. [4] The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies fears the death toll from Wednesday's disaster, already above 500, will continue to rise. [4] Nepal's Red Cross has begun providing emergency relief, including food, water, hygiene kits, mattresses and blankets. [4] UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said on X that the United Nations was moving at speed to save lives. [4] Lila Pieters Yahia, the UN resident coordinator for Nepal, said drinking water was being airlifted into affected areas. [4] The UN children's agency UNICEF said at least 14 children were confirmed dead. [4]
Eyewitness Accounts of the Disaster
Survivors described the flood as a “black storm” or “tsunami” following ground shaking. [1] Scientists who’ve studied satellite images said bedrock underneath a glacier high in the Himalayan region had collapsed, taking part of the glacier with it. [1] The rockfall was so extreme, it reached a magnitude 5.2 seismic measurement. [1] Customs officer Karbir Gaire was among some of the survivors in Timure. [1] Gaire reached his office around 8 a.m. Wednesday and was busy working on his computer when he first felt the ground shake. [1] “Right after the shake, I noticed a black storm coming towards us,” he recalled from Kathmandu, where he is back with family. [1] Gaire doesn’t remember exactly how many people were in the office when the disaster struck, but 15 colleagues have gone missing. [1] “It was like a Hollywood movie scene. I don’t call it a flood, it was a tsunami.” [1]
International Response and Missing Foreign Nationals
The search continues for 90 Americans, 320 Indians and other foreigners. [2] [5] The State Department is working to find 90 Americans still unaccounted for after devastating flash floods and mudslides in the Nepal-Tibet border region. [2] U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Thursday that he offered to provide Nepal’s leaders anything they want. [1] Vishnuram Ramaswamy, who works at a private company in the southern Indian city of Puducherry, said that he last spoke to his mother and two sisters who were on that pilgrimage Wednesday morning. [1] There was little information on survivors on the Chinese side, where the death toll rose to five Friday as state media showed evacuations of villages and leaders’ efforts to direct the relief response. [1]
What to watch next: Authorities continue to monitor the barrier lake that formed after the glacier collapse, with Nepali police issuing fresh alerts after reports of a dam burst on the Tibet side and rescuers remaining on high alert for potential further flooding.
