Nepal resumed search and rescue efforts on Saturday after a brief pause caused by adverse weather conditions. Authorities continue to search for nearly 3,000 missing individuals following a catastrophic flood that claimed hundreds of lives and devastated a region bordering Tibet.
The Himalayan nation, home to 30 million people, has called for specialized international assistance. Nepal’s Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle estimated that reconstruction costs could reach between $4 billion and $5 billion in the wake of the disaster.
The flood was triggered by a glacier collapse, unleashing a destructive surge of rock, ice, mud, and debris through mountain river systems on Wednesday. The calamity resulted in at least 669 fatalities in Nepal and seven deaths in China’s Tibet, destroying buildings, bridges, and power infrastructure.
Nearly 3,000 people remain unaccounted for, including approximately 2,426 in Nepal and 554 in Tibet’s Gyirong County. Among the missing are at least 540 foreign nationals, many of whom were Hindu pilgrims from India.
Search and rescue operations had been temporarily suspended due to rain and fog but recommenced later in the afternoon, a police official in the severely affected Rasuwa district. Helicopters resumed flights as weather conditions improved.
Rescue efforts were also halted on Friday when a flood-formed lake across the Nepal-China border began overflowing into Nepal’s Lhende Khola and Trishuli rivers. By Saturday, the overflow risk had diminished, with parts of the lake bed becoming visible. Satellite imagery indicated that water was gradually draining, reducing the lake’s size.
Nepal continues to monitor two lakes upstream of the flood zone, warning that flood risks will persist until both have fully drained.
Authorities reported that some recovered bodies have decomposed beyond recognition. Due to health concerns and the risk of disease outbreaks, these bodies will be buried after completing legal procedures. DNA samples will be collected prior to burial, which will take place in open spaces, as stated by the Chitwan district administration.
In Kathmandu, families of missing persons gathered outside Maharajgunj Medical Campus, attempting to identify relatives from photographs of recovered bodies displayed on the facility’s gates and walls. Meanwhile, families of 91 Malaysian citizens listed as uncontactable in Tibet and Nepal anxiously awaited updates. A representative for the Malaysian families urged their foreign ministry to establish a communication channel for faster information, describing the lack of news as deeply distressing.
Malaysia’s foreign ministry confirmed that search, rescue, and verification operations are ongoing.
Survivors face the daunting challenge of rebuilding their lives. Saraswati Ghale, 43, recounted how her home was destroyed and described fleeing uphill as the flood struck, shaking the ground like an earthquake. She expressed uncertainty about the future despite surviving.
Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle emphasized that the $4 billion to $5 billion figure is an initial estimate, with loss and damage assessments still underway.
In a significant development, Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal stated that while the country does not require additional help with search and rescue, it urgently needs specialized technical support. This includes rescuing people trapped in tunnels, restoring transportation and communication networks where bridges have been destroyed, identifying bodies, conducting DNA testing, and managing body storage.
Requests for such expert assistance have been made to international partners. On Saturday, a team of Indian tunnel experts arrived in Nepal, while China has dispatched five tunnel specialists to aid rescue operations, with four more expected to join them.
India has already delivered three flights carrying 60 tons of relief supplies, including blankets, medicines, and food. It has also offered disaster-response personnel, prefabricated bridges, and technical teams to help restore connectivity.
Chinese authorities continue efforts to locate over 500 missing people following the flood. Rescuers reached the heavily affected Gyirong border crossing on Friday, navigating difficult terrain with ropes after roads were destroyed. In challenging rainy conditions on Saturday morning, more than 50 rescue workers searched through debris and called out for survivors.
Surveillance footage from the crossing captured the flood’s violent impact, showing torrents of water and debris engulfing buildings as people fled.
