Rescue operations in Nepal

Rescue teams in Nepal are trying to reach around 100 people trapped inside a tunnel at a hydropower project, that was swamped by the devastating floods two days ago. Rescue workers are also continuing efforts to locate people missing across the worst-hit areas.

China says the overflow from a barrier lake near the Nepal border has stopped, easing immediate fears of another surge, with rescue workers preparing to resume operations after an earlier suspension over renewed flood risks, according to CCTV. Meanwhile, the Nepal Army has rescued two people from a flood-hit hydropower tunnel in Rasuwa, while search operations continue for others who may still be trapped.

What type of disaster was it?

The tragedy is being described as a glacial-lake-triggered flash flood and landslide disaster, one of the deadliest of its kind in the Himalayan region in recent years. Experts say a mass of ice and rock broke away from a glacier, possibly triggered by seismic activity, and came crashing down the mountainside, causing catastrophic flash flooding in Nepal’s Rasuwa district near the Tibet border.

India Embassy in Nepal issues updated emergency helpline numbers

The Embassy of India in Kathmandu has issued updated emergency helpline numbers for people seeking assistance amid the Nepal disaster. The numbers are available for emergency contact and can also be reached through WhatsApp. Helpline numbers: +977 985 131 6807, +977 970 910 7500, +977 981 032 6117.

Here are five key points on the developing situation:

• Rising toll, mass search operation: Nepal’s disaster management authority put the death count at 538, with around 910 people, including over 500 foreign nationals, still missing. Officials said 50 foreigners had been airlifted to safety so far, though the terrain is severely hampering rescue work.
• China reports separate casualties: State media said at least three people had died in Gyirong County, Tibet, with 558 missing there, of whom 260 are foreign nationals. Beijing said nearly 100 Chinese citizens were also missing on the Nepal side of the border.
• India has highest number of missing: New Delhi said 290 Indian nationals were out of contact, including around 200 pilgrims on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra stranded on the Chinese side. India has sent two consignments of relief material, including over 47 tonnes of aid, medicine and food, and rescued 21 people from Tamil Nadu.
• Secondary flood threat looms: Chinese authorities warned of a “high risk” that a barrier lake formed by the landslide could breach and trigger fresh flooding downstream. Forecasters have also flagged more monsoon rain in the coming days, adding to the danger for rescue teams and survivors.
• Cause still being probed: Experts believe an ice-and-rock avalanche linked to a glacier, possibly set off by seismic activity, triggered the disaster. The US Geological Survey pointed to a glacial collapse and landslide as the likely cause, though a full assessment is still underway.