Nepal Disaster Death Toll Rises to 800

Nepal’s government said Sunday that the death toll from the flooding and mudslide disaster along the Nepal-China border has risen to 800. In addition, about 3,000 people are missing. Today, for the first time, the Chinese government announced that the landslide that began on the Chinese side of the border, in Tibet, caused 16 deaths and left another 546 people missing.

As previously reported, the disaster struck the countries last Wednesday after a glacier collapsed in the Himalayan region, sending a mass of ice, rocks, mud and debris rushing down the valleys. The flow damaged communities, roads, bridges and infrastructure facilities on both sides of the border.

Authorities in Nepal said rescue units are having difficulty reaching some locations because additional rainfall has raised water levels in the rivers, raising concerns about further flooding.

There are also fears that about 350 people may be trapped inside a tunnel at the flooded hydroelectric power station. Rescue teams reached the entrance to one of the tunnels and began clearing the debris blocking it, but are struggling to move forward because of the conditions.

According to the government, more than 8,000 people have been rescued so far from the affected area, including about 270 people who were trapped at another hydroelectric project.