Kathmandu, Sept. 6 (SANA) The death toll from devastating floods that struck mountain valleys in Nepal along the border with China has risen to at least 1,341, with nearly 5,000 people reported missing as search and rescue operations continue.
Citing a provisional tally released Sunday by Nepal‘s emergency response authority, Agence France-Presse reported that a wall of water, ice, and debris swept through northern valleys, leaving 1,341 dead and 4,996 missing. Those missing include hundreds of foreign tourists as well as approximately 900 workers stationed at power plants and dam sites at the time of the disaster.
Nepali Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha confirmed that rescue teams are working around the clock 11 days after the disaster struck. He noted that operations are currently focused on power project tunnels despite severe geographical obstacles, bad weather, and a total collapse of local communications.
Shrestha added that large helicopters can no longer land at two key sites to deliver heavy equipment, though teams are evaluating alternative methods to advance the operation. Rescue workers recently pulled three survivors from the Trishuli-3 dam project tunnels—two Nepali workers and a Chinese national—and rescued a woman in her 60s from a mud-buried home.
Preliminary official estimates place the economic damage to housing, infrastructure, and property at a minimum of 387.5 billion Nepalese rupees (approximately $2.56 billion). The disaster was triggered on Aug. 26 when flash floods, mudslides, and rockfalls swept through Himalayan border districts, severing roads, power supply, and communications.
Kh.A / Mzn
