Nepal-China floods death toll rises to 919, nearly 4,800 missing

The death toll from devastating floods in Nepal and China’s Tibet region has risen to 919, while nearly 4,800 people remain missing as rescue operations continue along the Himalayan border.

Nepal reported at least 903 deaths and 4,247 missing people on Monday (August 31), the sixth day of rescue operations, according to the country’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.

The latest figures show a sharp rise in the number of missing people. In Nuwakot district alone, the number jumped from 115 reported on Sunday to 1,158 a day later. Another 562 people remain missing in Rasuwa district.

At least 592 foreign nationals are among those missing in Nepal. The authorities also reported 933 missing workers from hydropower projects along rivers that were hit by powerful flash floods and landslides.

The missing include 45 Nepal Army personnel, 38 members of the Nepal Police and Armed Police Force, and 19 customs and immigration officials, according to the disaster authority.

In neighbouring China, state media reported 16 deaths and 546 people missing in Tibet following the disaster that struck last Wednesday.

Meanwhile, authorities in India’s Uttar Pradesh said they had recovered 17 bodies believed to have been swept downstream from Nepal. Efforts are underway to identify the victims, but the bodies have not yet been included in Nepal’s official death toll.

The scale of the disaster has prompted renewed warnings over the growing risks of extreme weather and climate-related hazards in the Himalayan region.