Search and Rescue Resumes in Nepal and China as Flooding Death Toll Approaches 600

Rescue team personnel are actively searching through debris and mud in DeviGhat village, Nepal, following a brief pause due to fears of a second glacial flood in the disaster-stricken Nepal-Tibet border region.

The death toll continues to climb, with Nepal’s disaster authority reporting at least 579 deaths and 1,924 individuals missing. Meanwhile, Chinese authorities have confirmed that the death toll in Tibet has reached at least five, with 558 people still missing.

The catastrophe originated on Wednesday morning when a glacier collapsed at approximately 5,200 metres in the Himalayas, plunging about 1,200 metres while gathering rock and debris before slamming into the Lende River. The resulting torrent surged south through Nepal’s Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading districts, dramatically raising the Trishuli River by 9 metres in just 30 minutes.

Initially suspected to be earthquake-triggered, the US Geological Survey revised its findings, concluding that the seismic signal actually originated from the massive landslide itself. A newly formed lake at the collapse site began rising, prompting a temporary halt to rescue operations over concerns of secondary flooding. Operations have since resumed after experts deemed the lake's risks manageable.

Alton Byers, a glacial-hazards scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, explained to Al Jazeera that the barrier holding back the new lake is extremely unstable, consisting of loose debris from the recent cascade, with "not much holding it." Byers suggested that a natural, gradual drainage would be the safest outcome, though Chinese crews might also attempt manual reduction using hand tools, a technique previously employed in other regions vulnerable to glacial lake outburst floods.

State media reported that Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited the disaster zone in Gyirong on Thursday, while President Xi Jinping convened a meeting to instruct officials to "scientifically formulate search-and-rescue plans" and enhance the monitoring of glacial lakes.

International aid has begun arriving from India, the UN, the Red Cross Federation, Australia, South Korea and the US. Officials caution that the death toll is expected to rise further as rescue teams finally reach areas that remain isolated by deep mud and destroyed roads.