Nepalese authorities have announced that the death toll from the devastating floods in the country has risen to 626. According to the latest figures released by Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, 2,426 people remain missing, representing a significant increase in both fatalities and missing persons following the natural disaster.
Previously, authorities had reported 616 deaths and 1,924 people missing. The latest increase comes as search-and-rescue operations continue in the affected areas, with emergency teams working to locate those who remain unaccounted for.
However, adverse weather conditions and the risk of further flooding have posed serious challenges to relief and rescue efforts. Nepalese officials say more than 4,400 people have so far been rescued from affected areas, while efforts to locate others continue.
Families of missing people, including hundreds of foreign nationals, are still awaiting information about the fate of their relatives. Given the scale of the affected areas, local authorities have identified the search for and identification of missing persons as one of the highest priorities of the ongoing relief operation.
The sudden and widespread flooding, which began on Wednesday in the Nepal–China border region near Tibet, has become one of the deadliest natural disasters to hit the Himalayan region in recent years. The severity of the disaster has caused extensive damage to residential areas and critical infrastructure across the region.
According to preliminary reports, the partial collapse of a glacier in the Himalayan region may have released a massive volume of water, ice, mud, and rocks. These materials reportedly surged rapidly toward downstream valleys, triggering the devastating floods. However, experts are continuing to investigate the precise circumstances surrounding the disaster.
The floodwaters have moved along the Bhote Koshi River and other waterways in the region, destroying villages, roads, bridges, buildings, and hydropower facilities. Satellite imagery has also raised the possibility of a collapse in glacial areas, although specialist investigations are still underway to determine the exact cause of the disaster.
One of the areas hardest hit by the flooding is the Gyirong border crossing between China and Nepal. Damage to the area has not only affected local infrastructure but has also disrupted transportation and communications between the two countries.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
