Authorities in Nepal issued a warning about potential new flooding on Sunday, advising residents in flood-affected areas to stay vigilant as water levels surged in the Bhotekoshi River. Flood alerts were sent to mobile phones early Sunday as rescue teams cleared a major highway linking Kathmandu to a heavily impacted region hit by devastating floods last Wednesday, resulting in at least 800 fatalities and over 3,000 individuals missing in Nepal and Tibet.
The recent alerts followed communication from Chinese authorities to their Nepalese counterparts regarding heightened water flow upstream. The Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported that a newly formed lake after the initial floods had mostly emptied, but highlighted a crater 5.6 kilometers upstream holding around 1.4 million cubic meters of water, posing ongoing risks requiring close monitoring.
As per Nepal’s disaster agency, the death toll had risen to 788 with 2,502 individuals missing, while Chinese authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 missing persons on the Chinese side of the border. Among the missing are numerous individuals from various countries who were in the area for work, tourism, or religious purposes. Canadian officials confirmed the safety of one previously missing Canadian, with 31 others still unaccounted for.
Rescue efforts are ongoing at multiple hydroelectric projects, including a significant operation at the Upper Trishuli complex, where around 350 individuals are suspected to be trapped inside a tunnel. Nepali and international troops, including specialists from China and India, are engaged in rescue operations. Meanwhile, some residents in heavily affected regions in Nepal are returning to damaged homes to salvage belongings.
The devastating flash floods were triggered by a glacial collapse in the Himalayan region, causing widespread destruction in Nepal and Tibet. Nepal’s foreign affairs minister emphasized the urgent need for global action on climate change, attributing Nepal’s disproportionate vulnerability to climate impacts despite its minimal global emissions contribution. Scientists warned of the increasing likelihood of such disasters in mountainous regions like the Himalayas due to rising global temperatures linked to human activities.
