Death Toll Climbs as Rescuers Pull Survivors From Nepal-China Border Flood Disaster

Rescue teams working along the Nepal-China border pushed into a fourth day of operations on Saturday, still uncovering survivors from communities swallowed by catastrophic flash floods. At relief centres, families waited in tense silence, hoping for news as the number of dead and missing continued to rise.

The combined toll in Nepal and Tibet has now reached 691 dead, with more than 3,000 people missing, according to China’s latest update on Sunday. Chinese authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 missing, while Nepal’s disaster agency said the country’s death count had climbed to 675, with 2,498 people still unaccounted for. More than 3,700 people have been rescued in Nepal so far.

In Nuwakot, one of the hardest-hit districts, helicopters ferried in boxes of emergency supplies clothes, instant noodles, crackers and rice before returning with survivors from devastated communities. An older man was helped gently off one aircraft, while a soldier carried an elderly woman on his back to a medical tent. Many arrived with nothing but the clothes they were wearing.

Another helicopter brought about a dozen evacuees, including several babies carried out by soldiers. They had been rescued from the nearby community of Trishuli, where entire neighbourhoods were left unrecognisable.

Even as people continued to flee Trishuli, some villagers made the painful journey back to see what remained of their homes. One boy emerged carrying a pair of muddy sandals salvaged from the wreckage. Shoba Shretha returned to find her dog, Sweetie, alive after being forced to leave her behind during the floods. She sat on the ground, stroking the dog and offering her water from a bottle a rare moment of relief amid the devastation.

At one point, relief coordinators cleared villagers, reporters and volunteers from the entrance to Trishuli as heavy excavation equipment rolled in to begin digging through the debris.

The scale of destruction has left entire communities shattered, with rescue teams racing against time to find survivors and families clinging to hope as the search continues.