China and Nepal search for more than 5,500 missing after floods
Authorities report at least 1,384 deaths after flooding likely linked to a glacial collapse, as Nepal seeks climate compensation and the UN appeals for $50 million in aid.
Search-and-rescue operations are continuing in China and Nepal 12 days after catastrophic floods left more than 5,500 people missing and killed at least 1,384, according to figures reported by Al Jazeera.
Nepal’s national disaster agency said 1,341 bodies had been recovered and about 4,996 people remained missing. In Tibet, the death toll rose to 43, with 519 people missing, according to China’s state news agency Xinhua.
Four people have been found alive since Friday, including three in tunnels at hydropower facilities. Rescue teams are being hindered by difficult terrain, adverse weather, poor connectivity, deep mud and the risk of further landslides.
The road into Gyirong, a key China–Nepal land port, reopened on Wednesday, allowing heavy equipment to reach the area. At the site of a destroyed five-storey customs building, workers are using shovels, excavators and ground-penetrating radar to search for survivors and recover bodies.
Authorities have said the flooding was likely caused by a glacial collapse, although its precise cause remains under investigation. Experts cited by Al Jazeera said glacier floods have become more frequent and larger as global temperatures have risen.
Nepal has formally sought international climate compensation through the UN-backed Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage. Separately, the United Nations has appealed for $50 million to support more than 84,000 people affected by the disaster, while warning that delivering assistance remains a major challenge.
