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Nepal death toll crosses 1,000 as rescuers race to find workers trapped in mud-filled tunnels
BBC • • general
Key Points:
- The death toll from floods in Nepal near the Tibet border has surpassed 1,000, with over 3,900 people still missing, including more than 600 workers trapped in mud-filled tunnels at hydropower sites along the Trishuli River.
- Rescue efforts, led by Chinese and Nepalese military teams with support from India, Korea, and Australia, are ongoing but slow, as rescuers face challenges such as boulders and unclear tunnel locations; only 279 people have been rescued so far.
- Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah emphasized the increasing disaster risks linked to climate change and called for international attention to the issue, while families of the missing express both hope and frustration over the slow rescue operation.
- The floods have severely damaged at least 11 hydropower projects, critical to Nepal's energy infrastructure, and many bodies remain unidentified, with temporary burials occurring due to limited resources for proper storage and DNA identification.
- On the Tibetan side, the official death toll is 16 with 546 missing, and search operations continue amid heavy censorship of flood footage by Chinese authorities.
