Rescue stalls as death toll hits 750 and 3,044 remain missing in Nepal glacial flood

NEPAL, CHINA-NEPAL BORDER, RASUWA DISTRICT, NUWAKOT DISTRICT, DHADING, CHITWAN, TIBET, GYIRONG DISTRICT, INDIA, 30 AUGUST 2026 —

Rescue workers digging into a Himalayan tunnel on Sunday faced rising river waters and fresh rain as the death toll from a glacial flood along the Nepal-China border climbed to 750 with 3,044 still missing.

“All personnel engaged in search, rescue and relief are requested to exercise caution,” the authority said in a statement released at 7.20 am local time.

The disaster began at 8.30 am on Wednesday when a glacier collapsed on the China-Nepal border, sending a tsunami-like wall of water and debris down the Bhotekoshi and Sun Koshi rivers. The United States Geological Survey confirmed the cause the same day.

By Sunday evening Nepalese and Chinese authorities put the confirmed dead at 750 and the missing at 3,044. Some bodies are believed to have been carried as far downstream as India.

In Tibet, China’s ministry of water resources said the burst glacial lake had formed a new water body that initially threatened Gyirong town. CCTV reported late on Saturday that the lake was “essentially drained” through natural overflow, allowing rescue teams to resume work with 2,141 personnel on site, including more than 500 inside the worst-hit zone.

Donor governments stepped forward with emergency funds. The United States and Canada each pledged US$3.6 million, the United Kingdom US$6.8 million, the United Nations US$2.5 million, the European Union US$2.3 million and the Red Cross US$1 million, with an additional appeal for US$31 million. Nepal’s foreign minister Shisir Khanal told reporters the reconstruction bill could reach “billions of dollars” and urged the international community to provide heavy-lift drones, forensic kits and refrigerated storage.

Inside Nepal, the focus turned to two hydroelectric tunnels—Trishuli 3A and 3B—where more than 100 workers are feared trapped. The Nepali army drilled a small opening into the 3A passage on Sunday and started pumping air into the shaft, but rising flood waters and continuous rain forced a temporary halt. Home minister Sudan Gurung said teams would resume once conditions stabilised.

The disaster has laid bare the fragility of Himalayan infrastructure. UN climate chief Simon Steil called the event “a devastating reminder of how fragile these mountain environments can be,” noting that global glacier melt linked to climate change increases the risk of sudden collapses.

The human toll was visible in the villages along the Sun Koshi. Buddhi Ram Dangol, a resident of Nuwakot district, said every riverside settlement had been swept away. “There is nothing left.”

At an army base in Bidur that serves as the main rescue coordination point, relatives scanned handwritten lists taped to a wall. Kalka Sharda, a woman from Dhading, said she had come to find her son. “We need to know if he is alive or dead,” she said.

Nepal’s disaster authority reported 933 hydro workers among the missing, along with 517 foreigners including Hindu pilgrims bound for Mount Kailash and trekkers. The Isha Foundation, led by Indian guru Sadhguru, said 80 members had been on a group tour in the area and warned that “there seems to be no encouraging indication of survivors at the immigration office area.”

The glacial flood also created at least one unstable lake that could burst again, raising the prospect of a second wave. Chinese and Nepali foreign ministers spoke by telephone on Saturday and agreed to share satellite and hydrological data to monitor the threat.

Related: Sudan Gurung