Nepal issues fresh flood alert as death toll surpasses 900.

Rising waters and hampered rescues leave thousands missing across Nepal and Tibet.

Nepal has sounded a new flood warning as relentless rains and swelling rivers threaten further devastation, just days after a glacial collapse unleashed catastrophic flooding along the Nepal-Tibet border.

Authorities confirmed that the disaster has claimed 903 lives in Nepal, with 4,247 people still missing, while Chinese officials reported 16 deaths and 546 missing in Tibet. Combined fatalities have now crossed 900, with more than 5,000 individuals unaccounted for, including hundreds of foreign nationals.

Rising Threats

Nepal’s disaster agency warned of dangerously high-water levels in the Bhotekoshi River, following alerts from Chinese authorities about increased upstream flow. China’s water resources ministry reported that a crater upstream holds 1.4 million cubic meters of water, posing a significant risk of another flash flood.

Rescue operations have slowed due to heavy overnight rains, which flooded excavation sites and blocked key roads linking Kathmandu to affected districts.

Human Toll

Families in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts continue to crowd hospitals and rescue stations in search of loved ones. With morgues overwhelmed and lacking freezing facilities, authorities have begun burials before identification, though DNA samples are being collected for later verification. Survivors describe entire settlements swept away, leaving communities with nothing to rebuild from.

Hydropower Workers Missing

Among the missing are 933 hydropower workers. Rescue teams drilled into debris at the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric site, where survivors recounted terrifying scenes of turbines submerged in slush. One worker from India described how colleagues scrambled to higher ground as torrents engulfed the site, with some lives tragically lost.

Call for International Support

Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal acknowledged the country’s limited resources, estimating reconstruction costs in the billions of dollars. He appealed for advanced technology, including drones, forensic kits, and freezer units to aid in rescue and identification efforts.

International partners have begun responding: the United States and Canada pledged $3.6 million each, the UK offered $6.8 million, while the UN released $2.5 million in emergency funds. Additional support has come from the European Union and the Red Cross.

Climate Burden

Officials emphasized Nepal’s vulnerability to climate change, noting that despite its low per-capita carbon emissions, the country faces disproportionate impacts from glacial collapses and extreme weather events.

As rescue teams continue their race against time, Nepal braces for the possibility of further flooding, even as grieving families struggle with loss and uncertainty.