Death toll from Nepal-Tibet floods crosses 700 as rescue efforts enter fifth day

A health worker disinfects an area outside a mortuary in Bharatpur, Nepal’s Chitwan district, on August 30, 2026, as rescuers brave deep, leg-sucking mud in search for survivors of the catastrophic Nepal-Tibet floods. — AFP pic

First Published: Sunday, 30 Aug 2026 1:30 PM MYT

KATHMANDU, Aug 30 — Devastating floods near the border with China killed at least 734 people in Nepal and 2,498 remain missing, its disaster authority said Sunday, as rescue efforts entered a fifth day.

Chinese state media had earlier confirmed 16 dead in Tibet and 546 people missing following Wednesday’s disaster.

That takes the overall toll to 750 dead and 3,044 missing.

The number of missing in Nepal rose from the 2,426 recorded in its last update on Saturday evening.

That list included 589 foreigners, an increase from the 517 previously listed as out of contact.

School benches and a teacher’s chair lie buried in mud inside a classroom at Bageshwori Secondary School in Galchi, Nepal’s Dhading district, following flash floods on August 30, 2026. — AFP pic

It also included 933 workers on hydropower projects along the river which the torrent crashed through, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.

The disaster authority said teams had rescued 8,186 people in total, 227 foreigners.

In India, authorities said they had recovered seven bodies from rivers flowing from Nepal, believed to be flood victims. However, they are not included in the toll. — AFP