Rescuers in Nepal and China are working to respond to catastrophic flash floods that have killed more than 500 people and left over 1,500 missing, according to reports from Friday. Nepal's disaster management authority reported 538 deaths, with police later stating the toll was 547. More than 3,700 people have been rescued in Nepal.
On the Chinese side, the death toll rose to five, with state media reporting 558 missing. Nepal's disaster management authority stated that 977 people remained unaccounted for in Nepal, including hundreds of foreigners who were in the region for work, trekking, or pilgrimage.
Authorities are issuing alerts for potential further flooding from a new barrier lake that has formed high in the Chinese side of the Himalayan mountains. Chinese broadcaster CCTV reported the lake is at an elevation of 9,680 feet. Nepali and Chinese authorities have warned that the lake is already overflowing and urged residents in potentially affected areas to move to safer ground.
Rescue operations are ongoing but proceeding with high alert. Security personnel and relief workers were instructed to stay on high alert and evacuate if necessary. Rescue efforts were temporarily halted Friday morning due to concerns the new lake could overflow, impacting access to the hard-hit Gyirong Port, a border crossing with Nepal.
In Nepal, army rescuers are working to extract people trapped in a hydropower tunnel in Rasuwa, part of the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project. The tunnels have been filled with mud, complicating rescue efforts.
Scientists studying satellite images suggest that a collapse of bedrock beneath a glacier caused the extreme rockfall, which registered a magnitude 5.2 seismic measurement. This event sent rocks and melted water surging down rivers, causing the torrent that swept through Tibet and Nepal.
Survivors have described the event as sudden and devastating. Customs officer Karbir Gaire, who was in Timure near the Chinese border, recounted feeling the ground shake followed by a "black storm." He believes a brief escape uphill saved his life, though 15 colleagues remain missing.
Among the missing are over 500 foreigners, according to Nepal's tourism board. Approximately 90 Americans are unaccounted for, and U.S. President Donald Trump offered assistance to Nepalese leaders. Families in New York and India have reported losing loved ones and are awaiting news of missing relatives, some of whom were on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet.