Nepal Flood Death Toll Reaches 675, Over 2,400 Missing

A glacier collapse on Wednesday triggered catastrophic flooding in the Nepal-Tibet border region, killing at least 675 people in Nepal and leaving over 2,400 missing as of Saturday, with rescue operations continuing in treacherous mountain terrain and deteriorating weather.

According to ABC News reporting, the initial break occurred when a massive chunk of ice and rock sheared from a cliff approximately 16,000 feet high above the Trishuli River valley. The debris avalanche slid 6,000 feet down the slope near the Rasuwagadhi border post, roughly 12 miles northeast of the Nepal-China frontier. The U.S. Geological Survey registered the event as a 5.2-magnitude landslide, initially miscategorized as a 4.4-magnitude earthquake. The U.S. Geological Survey estimated more than 100 million cubic meters of ice, rock and debris were displaced. The flooding inundated areas along the Trishuli River at around 8:40 a.m. local time Wednesday, with destruction extending at least 62 miles downriver.

In addition to the 675 deaths confirmed in Nepal per ABC News, CBS News reported a combined Nepal-Tibet toll reaching 682-691 by Sunday, with China's Xinhua state media indicating 7 additional deaths and 554 missing in the Tibet region. Nepal's National Disaster Management Authority reported 2,498 people missing within Nepal alone. Of those missing, 589 are foreign nationals, with 261 of those foreign nationals having been rescued. Approximately 100 Americans remain missing as of Saturday, though NBC News reported 5 had been rescued. Among the missing are Murphy, Texas residents Raghu Rajan and Archana Suresh, whose phones last pinged near a bridge that washed away on Wednesday morning. Deepak and Madhu Ahuja of Plano, Texas, business owners married 34 years, were in the region for a religious journey to Mount Kailash. The State Department said as of Friday it was not aware of confirmed American deaths but urged affected citizens to contact KathmanduACS@state.gov or call 1-888-407-4747 (toll-free from US/Canada) or 1-202-501-4444 from other locations.

Rescue efforts have extracted more than 7,500 people from the disaster zone. Per ABC News, at least 7,514 people had been rescued in Nepal, including 227 foreign nationals, though CBS News reported approximately 3,700 people rescued as of its reporting time. Nepal Red Cross indicated more than 90,000 people have been affected by the disaster. On Saturday, helicopters resumed operations in Nuwakot district after poor weather temporarily halted rescue flights. A Nepali Army official told CBS News that search and rescue helicopters could execute roughly 15 trips per hour for a total of about 500 trips per day.

One immediate crisis is the trapped workers in tunnels at hydropower projects. Nepal's government says more than 100 workers may still be alive and trapped inside multiple tunnel sites. Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha stated initial reports suggested 100 trapped at a single location, but rescue efforts are ongoing at multiple facilities. On Saturday, rescuers broke through mud at Trishuli 3A and began sending air into the tunnel, with excavation underway and efforts to send a camera into the passage initiated by the Ministry of Energy. China's Ministry of Emergency Management urgently dispatched five tunnel experts to join rescue efforts at the hydropower station tunnel in Nepal. Specialized Indian and Chinese tunnel-rescue teams have joined the effort. India has extensive experience with difficult Himalayan tunnel rescues, including teams of skilled 'rat-hole' miners capable of crawling into narrow spaces. Nepal's own expert mountain rescue teams, accustomed to aiding climbers on world's highest peaks including Everest, are joining the search.

Identification of the deceased presents an ongoing challenge. Around 650 bodies and body parts have been recovered per ABC News, with many swept far downstream and no longer visually identifiable. Bodies are being brought to Western Regional Hospital in Pokhara on Phewa Lake. Police have set up a digital display showing photographs of victims' faces in hopes loved ones might identify them. Some recovered bodies are in advanced states of decomposition, making physical identification difficult. Nepal's Prime Minister Baken Shah announced the government would preserve DNA samples and identifying evidence from unidentifiable bodies. Burial of severely damaged and unidentifiable remains began in Chitwan and Nawalparasi districts on Saturday. Nepal is coordinating forensic efforts with India and China, with Israeli experts expected to arrive.

International aid is mobilizing. According to NBC News, the World Bank, India, China and the U.S. have committed to pledge $229 million, with the U.N. resident coordinator in Nepal saying the government established a relief fund. The U.N. is providing $2 million from its humanitarian relief fund for immediate assistance. Per NBC News, Nepal's Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle stated the nation may need $4 billion to $5 billion to rebuild. The U.S. State Department is providing more than $3.6 million in humanitarian aid, including three months of emergency food assistance for up to 10,000 households, according to CBS News. At least 219 injured people have received treatment or been discharged as of Saturday per ABC News.