Nepalese authorities warned Sunday of possible fresh flooding as water levels rose in the Bhotekoshi River, urging residents in flood-hit districts to remain on high alert. Emergency warnings were sent directly to residents’ phones as rescue teams continued efforts to reopen key roads cut off by the disaster.
Nepal’s disaster agency said the death toll from Wednesday’s catastrophic floods had risen to 752, with 2,502 people still missing. Across the border in Tibet, Chinese authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 missing, bringing the combined toll to at least 768 dead and more than 3,000 missing.
The disaster has devastated entire communities along rivers in Nepal and Tibet, with homes, vehicles and agricultural machinery buried under thick layers of mud and debris. In Dhading, one of Nepal’s worst-hit districts, residents returned to damaged homes to search for belongings, while some areas remained without electricity after power infrastructure was swept away.
Authorities said the latest flood warnings followed information from China about increased water flows upstream. However, residents said the repeated alarms were adding to their distress, forcing families to repeatedly move to higher ground, sometimes at night, while rain continued to fall.
The floods also destroyed major concrete and suspension bridges, leaving communities isolated on opposite sides of rivers. The Prithivi Highway, a vital route supplying Kathmandu with food, fuel and other goods, is largely operational but sections remain difficult to repair.
The floods were triggered Wednesday after a glacial collapse in the Himalayan region, with scientists saying a major rockfall beneath a glacier caused a surge of meltwater and debris that rapidly swelled rivers downstream. The torrent swept away buildings, bridges and large sections of land in both Nepal and Tibet.
International assistance is beginning to arrive as rescue and recovery efforts continue. Malaysia announced it will send a specialized disaster search-and-rescue team to Nepal to support relief operations and help evacuate affected Malaysian citizens, while also pledging $1 million in financial aid to Nepal.
