KATHMANDU, Nepal – The number of people missing after Wednesday’s catastrophic flash flood in Nepal has risen sharply to 4,247, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority. At least 903 people are now confirmed dead, with rescue efforts increasingly focused on hundreds of workers feared trapped inside hydropower tunnels.
The figure marks a dramatic increase from the 2,502 reported missing just one day earlier. Of those unaccounted for, 3,655 are Nepali citizens, while 592 are foreign nationals. In Tibet, Chinese state media reports 16 confirmed deaths and 546 people still missing.
Hydropower Workers Trapped in Tunnels
The disaster has dealt its heaviest blow to Nepal’s hydropower sector. Officials fear that hundreds of workers are trapped inside tunnels at multiple hydroelectric projects along the Trishuli River, which were inundated when a massive wall of ice, rock, and mud cascaded down from the Himalayas.
According to the country’s Independent Power Producers’ Association, at least 933 hydropower workers are unaccounted for. The Upper Trishuli-1 project alone accounts for 576 missing workers, while 122 are missing at Upper Trishuli-3B.
Rescue teams are working around the clock to reach anyone who might still be alive inside the tunnels. At the Trishuli-3A project, crews have bored holes through the tunnel roof to send in oxygen, light, and food. Heavy machinery is clearing debris, and Indian and Chinese experts have arrived to assist with the complex tunnel rescue operation.
“Efforts are underway to rescue people by breaking the tunnel from other ways. We are sending more drilling equipment and explosive items,” said Mohan Shakya, spokesperson at Nepal’s Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation.
‘They All Died, and I Lived’
The human toll of the disaster is profoundly felt in communities along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers, where entire villages were swept away within minutes.
In Dhunche, a town near the Tibetan border serving as a hub for rescue operations, the grief is overwhelming. “Anyone you speak to here will know dozens of people who have died,” one man told reporters.
Dawa Lama, 45, a resident of the border village of Timure, recounted the moment the flood struck. He heard a thunderclap, felt a breeze, and then an enormous wave of muddy water slammed into his home, carrying away his wife and their two daughters, aged 7 and 8.
“They all died, and I lived,” Lama said, weeping. “How long can I remain in hope, I don’t know”.
Bhupen Thapa, another survivor now sheltering in Dhunche, described watching his home and family being washed away in seconds. “Everyone is dead. No one can survive such a disaster. I’ve lost everything and I feel so guilty that I couldn’t save anyone,” he told The Independent.
A Catastrophe Linked to Climate Change
The flash flood was triggered by a glacial collapse on the North Face of Mount Langtang Lirung, which sent a massive avalanche of rock and ice into the Lhende Khola river. The debris dammed the river, and the impounded water subsequently burst through, releasing a devastating flood surge.
Chinese state media has linked the disaster to global warming, reporting that the flood was “caused by glacier instability under the long-term effects of global warming” and calling it a “new and prominent feature of cryosphere disasters” on the Tibetan plateau.
The Red Cross estimates that more than 90,000 people have been affected by the disaster, which has destroyed roads, bridges, and entire settlements, leaving many communities completely cut off.
Ongoing Rescue Challenges
Rescue operations continue to be hampered by damaged infrastructure, with about 40 kilometers of road and 19 bridges destroyed. The water level of the Trishuli River rose again early Sunday morning, further complicating efforts.
Over 13,000 security personnel from the Nepali Army, Armed Police Forces, and Nepal Police have been deployed, with helicopters ferrying survivors and supplies to safety. More than 10,000 people have been rescued so far.
Nepal has stated it does not need foreign assistance for general rescue operations, but has requested help with specialized areas such as tunnel rescue, DNA testing, and forensic identification of remains
