SRINAGAR : The death toll from devastating flash floods triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border rose to 392 on Thursday, while nearly 1,500 people remained missing on both sides of the border as rescue teams raced to reach affected areas.
Of the total fatalities, 389 were reported in Nepal and three in Tibet, according to authorities.
Nepal Police said 796 people, including 50 foreigners, had been rescued by helicopters from the flood-hit areas, while another 796 people were evacuated by land.
Authorities said 910 people were missing in Nepal, while officials in Tibet reported 558 missing, taking the combined number of missing persons to 1,468.
India meanwhile intensified efforts to trace its nationals caught in the disaster. The Ministry of External Affairs said 290 Indian nationals remained uncontactable.
The ministry said 84 Indians had been rescued so far, including 63 workers engaged at the under-construction Trishuli-I run-of-river hydropower project and 21 people from Tamil Nadu.
Around 200 Indian nationals on the Tibet side have also sought assistance for evacuation, the MEA said.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India was making urgent efforts to establish the whereabouts and safety of its citizens and was coordinating with Nepal, China, state governments, tour operators and other agencies.
India also stepped up relief assistance to Nepal, sending another 37.5 tonnes of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief material, medicines and food packets on Thursday. This came a day after 10 tonnes of relief material were dispatched, taking the total assistance sent so far to 47.5 tonnes.
### Fresh Flood Threat
The disaster has also raised fears of another major flood downstream after a new barrier lake formed near the source of the Bhote Koshi river system.
Chinese authorities estimated that around two million cubic metres of water had accumulated in the lake by Thursday morning, with another three million cubic metres potentially flowing into it over the next three days.
A breach of the natural barrier could send another surge of water downstream, posing a fresh threat to already devastated areas.
The lake formed near the confluence of the Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers, which originate in Tibet before flowing into Nepal as part of the Bhote Koshi system.
Nepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said it had received information about the lake from Chinese authorities and warned of continued flood risks along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers.
People were advised to stay away from riverbanks and remain in safe locations, while travellers and search-and-rescue teams were urged to exercise extreme caution.
Chinese authorities have begun monitoring the lake, conducting flood simulations and assessing the risk of a possible breach. A Chinese rescue team equipped with communication and detection equipment has reached Gyirong to assess the upstream blockage.
### Avalanche, Not Earthquake, Triggered Disaster
The floods were initially linked to an earthquake, but preliminary assessments by Nepalese authorities and a revised analysis by the US Geological Survey identified a glacial collapse and debris flow as the trigger.
An ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-China border struck the Lhende River, temporarily blocking its flow. The natural barrier subsequently collapsed, releasing a massive torrent of water, mud, rocks and debris downstream.
The flood devastated Rasuwa district, around 160 km from Kathmandu, before sweeping through settlements including Timure and Rasuwagadhi and entering the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river systems.
The USGS said its analysis of long-period seismic waves indicated that the event initially reported as a magnitude 4.4 earthquake was instead generated by the glacial collapse and ensuing debris flow.
### Infrastructure Destroyed
The scale of destruction has severely hampered rescue operations, with roads cut off, bridges washed away and large quantities of mud and debris covering settlements and riverbanks.
Nepal’s Department of Roads said the entire 42-km road stretch between Betrawati in Nuwakot and Rasuwagadhi had suffered damage at several points.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 35 motorable bridges and 45 suspension bridges had been damaged, along with around 40 km of black-topped roads.
The Trishuli and Devighat hydropower projects and other power infrastructure were also damaged.
Authorities were working to reopen the Galchhi-Baireni road in Dhading, a key route connecting Kathmandu with other parts of the country.
### Bodies Recovered From Several Districts
Nepal Police said 137 bodies had been recovered from Chitwan, the highest number among the affected districts. Bodies were also recovered from Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha, Tanahun and Nawalparasi.
At least 44 Nepali Army personnel, 28 Nepal Police personnel and 13 Armed Police Force personnel were among those reported missing.
Around 160 people working at hydropower projects and customs offices were also reported missing.
Rescue teams continued searching riverbanks, isolated settlements and downstream areas for survivors and bodies carried away by the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers.
Families gathered at hospitals in Kathmandu and other affected areas in search of missing relatives.
At Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu, authorities displayed lists of people brought to the facility and photographs of those who had died. Help desks were also established to collect information about missing persons.
Similar scenes were reported at Bharatpur Hospital in Chitwan, where relatives searched for missing family members as authorities dealt with a rising number of bodies.
### Foreign Tourists Rescued
Twenty-seven foreign tourists stranded in Rasuwa were rescued on Thursday, including 11 Indians, four South Koreans, two Italians and two US citizens. The remaining eight had not yet been identified by nationality.
The tourists were airlifted to Kathmandu by the Nepal Army.
Many of the Indian tourists affected by the disaster were travelling towards Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet or Gosainkunda in Nepal’s Bagmati Province.
Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah visited flood-hit areas of Bidur Municipality in Nuwakot on Thursday to assess the damage.
In Tibet, Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited flood-hit Gyirong Township to oversee rescue and relief operations. Chinese state media said the People’s Liberation Army’s Western Theatre Command had also dispatched a team to coordinate military rescue operations.
Nepal Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal held telephone conversations with officials from the US, UK and other countries, who expressed solidarity with Nepal and offered assistance in search-and-rescue efforts.
With several areas still inaccessible and the threat of another flood continuing, authorities warned that the full scale of the disaster was yet to be assessed.
The catastrophe is already among Nepal’s deadliest disasters in recent years, with rescue operations continuing amid damaged infrastructure, deep mud deposits and the risk of further flooding.
