Nepal flood death toll rises as search teams look for hundreds missing near Tibet border

Rescue crews in Nepal are continuing to search for survivors after flash floods and a glacial collapse struck the country’s northern border area with Tibet this week, leaving at least 165 people dead and more than 800 missing. The disaster has hit communities near the frontier and prompted a large-scale emergency response.

Officials said the missing include foreign nationals from India, the United States, Britain, Australia, Malaysia and Ukraine. The search effort has been complicated by the scale of the flooding and the remote terrain along the border region.

Reports from the Tibetan side of the frontier described floodwater and debris sweeping through roads near Gyirong, with trees and power poles brought down before people were forced to reverse away from the water. One witness told a Chinese newspaper she was travelling toward Nepal when the flood reached the area near Gyirong port.

The latest figures differ slightly between reports, with one outlet putting the number of missing at more than 800 and another saying it was above 1,000. Authorities have kept emergency teams in the area as the search continues.