Nepal-China border floods kill 919, nearly 4,800 missing

Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority confirmed on Monday that 903 people have died on the Nepalese side of the border, while Chinese state media reported 16 fatalities in Gyirong County in the Xizang Autonomous Region. The combined figures bring the total death toll to 919, with another 4,793 people listed as missing nearly one week after the disaster struck. Authorities said 853 foreign nationals are among the missing.

Security forces, workers unaccounted for

Among those missing in Nepal are 25 police officers, 45 army personnel, 13 armed police force members, and 14 customs officials, alongside three immigration officers and 933 hydropower station workers. The authority noted that 127 Nepalese travelers also remain unaccounted for following the Aug. 26 glacier fracture on Mount Langtang Lirung. On the Chinese side, 261 foreigners are among the 546 missing persons in the Gyirong border area.

Rescue operations intensify

Search and rescue teams are continuing operations across devastated terrain, attempting to reach workers stranded at several hydropower projects in Nepal's valleys. China has deployed more than 2,100 personnel for search and rescue missions, supported by hundreds of vehicles and thousands of pieces of specialized equipment. The efforts are focused on areas buried by the debris flow that swept through Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Kavre and the Kathmandu Valley.

Glacier collapse triggered disaster

The catastrophe began on Aug. 26 when a glacier on Nepal's Mount Langtang Lirung fractured at approximately 5,200 meters, triggering an ice-rock avalanche that developed into a massive debris flow. The surge devastated valleys along the border, burying the Gyirong area in Tibet and causing widespread destruction across central Nepal. The resulting flash floods and mudslides have been described as one of the region's deadliest natural disasters in recent years.