Nepal flood rescue teams find two more survivors as death toll passes 1,331

Emergency responders in Nepal have rescued two more people alive as search operations continue more than a week after catastrophic floods hit the country. A Chinese hydropower worker was pulled from a 225-metre tunnel at the Upper Trishuli-1 project in Rasuwa district, while a 64-year-old Nepali woman was rescued from a damaged house in neighbouring Nuwakot district. The latest rescues come as teams continue to search flood-hit sites across central Nepal, where many people remain unaccounted for.

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The worker, identified as Lu Haitao, was freed on Saturday by a joint team of Nepali soldiers and South Korean disaster specialists and later flown by helicopter to a hospital in Kathmandu. Officials said he appeared stable but mildly hypothermic. Chandika Kumari Shrestha was found covered in mud inside her collapsed home, given water by rescuers and then airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment, according to officials.

The rescues are the third and fourth in recent days, following the recovery of two Nepali tunnel workers from another hydropower site on Friday. Search efforts remain focused on damaged tunnels and construction sites along the Trishuli River corridor, where about 900 workers are still unaccounted for at hydropower projects alone. Rain on Saturday slowed operations in Rasuwa, but rescue teams continued to push ahead, underscoring the difficulty of working in unstable terrain and flooded infrastructure.

The disaster has become one of Nepal's most serious flood emergencies in recent years and has raised wider concerns about the vulnerability of hydropower infrastructure in steep Himalayan river valleys. The flooding was triggered on 26 August by a glacier collapse in the Himalayas that unleashed water, rock and ice through the valley. The scale of the missing-person case also gives the operation regional and international significance, with foreign nationals among those still unaccounted for and overseas rescue support involved.

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According to Nepal's national disaster authority, at least 1,331 people have been killed and about 5,000 remain missing, including 589 foreign nationals. Officials in Tibet, the autonomous region of China across the border, have reported 31 deaths and 531 people missing. The figures show how the disaster has affected both sides of the border and why the search has become both a humanitarian emergency and a major identification challenge.

What remains unclear is how many of those still missing can still be reached alive, and how many are trapped in tunnels or other damaged structures. The next developments to watch are further survivor or casualty updates, progress at the hydropower sites and whether rescue teams can reach additional tunnels before conditions worsen. For now, the search continues alongside a large-scale recovery effort in central Nepal.

Emergency responders in Nepal have rescued two more people alive as search operations continue 10 days after devastating floods hit the country. A Chinese man was pulled from a 225-metre tunnel at the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project, while a 64-year-old Nepali woman was rescued from a damaged house in the town of Nuwakot. The latest rescues come as teams continue to search flood-hit sites across a wide area of central Nepal.

The Nepali military said a joint team of army personnel and South Korean disaster experts rescued the man on Saturday and that he was undergoing a health assessment. Pictures showed him being evacuated by helicopter after being carried out of the tunnel. The woman was found submerged in mud in a house whose lower half had been buried in thick sludge, before being airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment.

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Officials said two Nepali workers were also rescued from another tunnel on the Trishuli River on Friday. Search efforts are focused on a dozen hydropower projects across Nepal, where about 900 workers are missing and about 500 are thought to be trapped in large tunnels. International rescue teams from India, China, South Korea and the United States are involved in the operation, which has been complicated by collapsed bridges, damaged structures and rivers that continue to swell unpredictably.

Experts have said the chances of finding more missing people alive in the tunnels are diminishing as the operation enters its second week. The disaster has become one of Nepal's most serious flood emergencies in recent years and has raised wider concerns about the vulnerability of hydropower infrastructure in steep Himalayan river valleys. The floods were triggered by a glacial and rock collapse on 26 August, and the damage has affected transport, communications and access to remote sites.

More than 40 bridges have collapsed, making it harder for rescuers to reach people who may still be trapped. The scale of the missing-person case also gives the operation regional and international significance. Nepal's disaster management agency says at least 1,375 people have been killed and more than 5,000 remain missing, while the presence of foreign nationals among those unaccounted for has drawn in overseas rescue and identification support.

The Upper Trishuli-1 project and other hydropower sites along the Trishuli River remain central to the search because many of the missing are believed to be in tunnels or other damaged infrastructure. What remains unclear is how many of those still missing can still be reached alive, and how many are trapped in areas that rescuers cannot yet access. The next developments to watch are further survivor or casualty updates, progress at the hydropower sites and whether the international teams can reach additional tunnels before conditions worsen.

For now, the rescue effort continues alongside a large-scale recovery operation.

Two more Australians have been confirmed safe after the Nepal-Tibet flood disaster, reducing the number of Australians still unaccounted for to 36. The latest figures in the supplied material also put the confirmed death toll at more than 1,200, with more than 5,500 people missing across both sides of the border. Rescue teams are still searching flood-hit areas and tunnels along the Trishuli River, where the disaster has caused severe damage to infrastructure and left many families waiting for news.

The Australian Disaster Assistance Response Team is expected to arrive in Kathmandu later today, while seven disaster victim identification specialists from the Australian Federal Police are due to arrive on Saturday morning. The two people newly confirmed safe had previously been uncontactable, but are now understood to be well and do not require consular assistance. The updated figures show how the international response is continuing alongside the search effort, as authorities try to account for those still missing.

The disaster remains one of the most serious cross-border flood emergencies in the region in recent years. It has affected communities and infrastructure on both sides of the Nepal-Tibet border, with rescue work complicated by damaged tunnels, debris and difficult access to remote sites. The scale of the missing-person count, now above 5,500, means the operation is still both a humanitarian emergency and a major identification challenge for officials.

What remains unclear is how many of those still missing may be trapped in tunnels or other damaged structures, and how many can still be reached alive. The next developments to watch are further casualty updates, the arrival of Australian personnel in Kathmandu, and whether search teams can make progress in the hardest-hit areas along the river corridor. For now, the confirmed figures continue to rise even as the search remains active.

Four more Australians have been confirmed safe after the floods in Nepal and Tibet, but 38 others remain missing, according to the latest figures in the supplied material. The disaster has now been linked to at least 1,066 deaths and 4,462 missing people across Nepal and China, as rescue work continues on both sides of the border. Families of those still unaccounted for are urging authorities to intensify the search.

The updated figures show that five Australian citizens have been located safe since Tuesday morning. One was found in Nepal and another in China, while three others were found outside the disaster zone, although their welfare had not initially been confirmed. Nepal said 1,050 bodies had been recovered by Tuesday, while Chinese state media reported 16 dead and 546 missing, keeping the combined toll at 1,066 dead and 4,462 missing.

Rescuers are focusing on hydropower plant projects where hundreds of workers are believed to have been trapped. Excavators have been moving debris in Tibet, and images released by Nepal's army show teams working through debris-filled tunnels in search of signs of life. The search has been slowed by the scale of the damage and the difficulty of reaching remote sites along the border region.

The disaster matters because it has become both a mass-casualty emergency and an international missing-person case. Nepal's reliance on hydropower has left several projects exposed to severe damage, and the presence of foreign nationals among the missing has widened the diplomatic and humanitarian implications. The Australians still unaccounted for are part of a broader group of foreign nationals whose families are waiting for confirmation of their fate.

One family in Australia says it is still waiting for news of a 65-year-old engineer who was working at the Rasuwagadhi Integrated Customs Checkpoint on the Nepal-Tibet border. His daughter said rescue teams took about six days to reach the area and called for specialised missing-person search teams, as well as forensic and DNA support for any bodies recovered. Her comments underline the pressure on authorities to identify the dead and determine whether those still missing can be found alive.

What remains unclear is how many of the missing are trapped in tunnels or other infrastructure sites, and how many may still be reachable. The next developments to watch are further casualty updates, progress at hydropower projects and whether international assistance is expanded. For now, the search continues amid a death toll that has passed 1,000 and a missing-person count that remains extremely high.

The death toll from the flash floods on the Nepal-Tibet border has risen to more than 1,000, according to the latest figures in the supplied material. Nepal's disaster authority says 987 people have been killed in the country, while Chinese state media has confirmed 16 deaths in Tibet, taking the combined toll to 1,003. Rescue operations are now in their seventh day, with thousands still missing and teams still trying to reach workers trapped at hydropower sites along the Trishuli River.

The number of people unaccounted for remains extremely high, even as some bodies have been recovered and the search continues across both sides of the border. In Nepal, 3,916 people are still missing, including more than 600 workers believed to be trapped in mud-filled tunnels at hydropower projects. In China, state media says 546 people remain missing, bringing the total number of missing people across the disaster to 4,462.

The rescue effort has become increasingly complex because many of those missing are believed to be inside damaged tunnels and remote infrastructure sites. Engineers have been pumping air into the tunnels, and a team entered one tunnel before withdrawing after finding no one there. Nepalese military personnel and Chinese military personnel are leading the operation, with experts from India, Korea and Australia also involved, while army teams have used explosives to blast into hillsides to try to reach trapped workers.

The disaster has also highlighted the scale of Nepal's dependence on hydropower and the vulnerability of projects built along steep Himalayan river systems. Authorities say at least 11 hydropower projects, either completed or under construction, were damaged in the floods. That has left a major search-and-rescue challenge as well as a wider infrastructure problem, with power and communication lines restored only in some areas and road access still being repaired in the worst-hit districts.

The human impact is broad and international. The missing in Nepal include 583 foreign nationals from more than 30 nationalities, while the missing in China include 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries. Among those reported missing are two Irish citizens named by Nepal's tourism department, as well as large numbers of Indian, US, Ukrainian, Malaysian, Australian and British nationals, underlining the cross-border and multinational nature of the emergency.

The floods have also affected state services and local communities across the border region. Nepalese officials say over 11,000 people have been rescued, and temporary bridges have been built to reach remote areas. In one of the worst-affected districts, Nuwakot, road networks have been restored enough to help rescue operations, while Prime Minister Balendra Shah said thousands had lost homes, families, property and loved ones.

What remains unclear is how many of those still missing will be found alive, how many have been injured or displaced, and how much damage has been done to roads, tunnels and hydropower facilities. The next developments to watch are further casualty updates, whether access improves in the hardest-hit areas, and whether the rescue teams can reach the workers still believed to be trapped underground. The disaster is still unfolding, and officials say the scale of the challenge remains severe.

Rescue crews in Nepal are continuing to search for people missing after last week's catastrophic flash floods on the border with China. The latest figures in the supplied material say more than 4,400 people are unaccounted for across Nepal and China, with the search now focused on hydropower sites in the country's Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts. Hundreds of workers are believed to be trapped in tunnels buried by mud, while families wait for news of those still missing.

At least 900 workers are unaccounted for at 12 hydropower projects damaged by the floods, according to a private-sector association representing power companies. About 500 of those workers are believed to be trapped in tunnels, and Nepal's army said four bodies had been recovered from three mud-filled tunnels. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said nine of the missing 43 Australians had crossed into China at the time of the disaster, underlining the cross-border nature of the emergency.

The death toll has also continued to rise, with combined deaths in Nepal and China now above 950 in the supplied material. Officials and rescue workers say the situation remains difficult because the missing are believed to be inside large tunnels built to control water flow at hydropower sites. One industry representative said some workers may still have access to oxygen, but others warned that the chances of finding survivors were fading as the days passed.

The disaster matters because it has struck a border region where steep terrain, river systems and infrastructure projects can quickly turn flooding into a wider humanitarian and logistical crisis. Hydropower is a major part of Nepal's development plans, so damage to these projects has implications beyond the immediate search for survivors. The presence of foreign nationals among the missing also gives the rescue effort an international dimension, with governments and families outside Nepal watching developments closely.

The supplied material shows that some workers managed to call for help when the flooding struck, while others who escaped said colleagues were still inside the tunnels. It is not clear whether rescuers have had any contact with those trapped since the initial calls, and one industry official said fears were growing that some may have suffocated. The scale of the disaster has also affected state services, with the wider flood emergency involving soldiers, police and customs and immigration officials among the missing in the broader incident.

What remains unclear is how many of the missing will be found alive, how many have been injured or displaced, and how much damage has been done to roads and other infrastructure in the hardest-hit districts. The next developments to watch are further casualty updates, the pace of tunnel rescue operations and whether access improves in the affected areas. The situation remains live, with the search continuing six days after the floods struck.

Devastating floods near Nepal's border with China have now killed at least 955 people across Nepal and Tibet, according to the latest figures in the supplied material. Nepal's disaster authority says 939 deaths have been recorded in the country, while Chinese state media has confirmed 16 deaths in Tibet. The known regional toll has risen as rescue efforts enter a sixth day, with families still waiting for news of thousands of missing people.

The latest figures show 4,471 people remain missing on both sides of the border. Nepal says 3,925 people are unaccounted for nationwide, including 592 foreigners, and many of those missing are linked to hydropower projects that were hit by the torrent. Officials say the number of missing hydropower workers has fallen to 639 from an earlier count of 933, suggesting some progress in accounting for workers even as the overall search remains vast.

The disaster has hit several districts hard, with Nuwakot and Rasuwa among the worst affected areas in Nepal. The disaster agency says 1,158 people are missing in Nuwakot district and 865 in neighbouring Rasuwa. The missing also include 45 army soldiers, 38 police officers and 18 customs and immigration officials, underlining the scale of the disruption to state services as well as to local communities.

In Uttar Pradesh state in India, authorities say they have recovered 17 bodies from rivers flowing from Nepal, although these deaths are not yet included in the official toll. The floods matter because they have affected a border region where steep terrain, river systems and infrastructure projects can quickly turn a natural disaster into a wider humanitarian and logistical emergency. Hydropower sites are a key part of Nepal's development plans, so damage to those projects may have consequences beyond the immediate loss of life and missing persons.

The cross-border nature of the disaster also means authorities in Nepal, Tibet and India are dealing with linked river systems and overlapping recovery challenges. The supplied material shows that the disaster is still unfolding rather than being a single-day event. The death toll has continued to rise as more information becomes available, while the number of missing people remains extremely high.

The presence of foreign nationals among the missing suggests the search effort has an international dimension, and the involvement of soldiers, police and customs staff indicates that official institutions have also been directly affected. What remains unclear is how many of the missing will be found, how many people have been injured or displaced, and how much damage has been done to roads, hydropower facilities and other infrastructure. It is also not yet clear how many of the bodies recovered in India will be formally linked to the flood disaster.

The next developments to watch are further casualty updates, the pace of rescue operations and whether access improves in the hardest-hit districts.

More than 4,200 people are now missing in Nepal after severe flooding hit the country, according to the national disaster agency. The worst damage reported in the supplied material is in Rasuwa district, which the BBC says is one of the hardest-hit areas. In Syfrubesi, residents described the settlement as left in ruins after the floodwaters swept through the valley.

The latest figure marks a sharp rise in the number of missing people and underlines the scale of the disaster. The disaster agency gave the updated total on Monday, while the BBC travelled to Rasuwa to assess the damage. In the village of Sano Bakhu, locals said they were shocked by the destruction in neighbouring Syfrubesi, where homes and land were described as devastated.

The flooding has left a visible humanitarian and logistical problem in the affected valley. The supplied material does not give a confirmed death toll, but it shows that the immediate concern is the large number of people unaccounted for. Relief and rescue efforts are continuing, and the disaster has already become a major national emergency because of the number of missing and the extent of the destruction.

The incident matters beyond the immediate loss because it affects a border region linked to the wider Nepal-Tibet flood disaster. Flooding in mountainous areas can quickly isolate communities, damage roads and make rescue work difficult, especially when valleys and transport routes are cut off. The scale of the missing-persons figure also suggests a prolonged search and relief operation, with pressure on local and national authorities to account for those still untraced.

The BBC's reporting from Rasuwa adds a ground-level view of the disaster, showing how quickly a village can be transformed into barren land. The account from Sano Bakhu indicates that nearby communities are witnessing the destruction first-hand, even if they were not directly struck in the same way. The supplied material also points to ongoing coverage of the wider Nepal-Tibet flood event, including rescue operations and the impact on infrastructure.

What remains unclear from the supplied information is the full number of dead, injured or displaced, and how many of the missing may yet be found. It is also not clear how much of the valley's infrastructure has been destroyed or how long recovery will take. The key developments to watch are the next official casualty update, the progress of rescue teams and whether access to the worst-hit areas improves.

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