Nepal floods: Death toll rises to 903, missing count crosses 4,200

The death toll from devastating flash floods in Nepal has risen to 903, while 4,247 people remain missing, authorities said Monday, August 31, as rescue operations entered their sixth day following the disaster near the Nepal-Tibet border.

Across the border in Tibet, Chinese state media has reported 16 deaths and 546 people missing, taking the combined toll in Nepal and Tibet to at least 919 dead and 4,793 missing.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said bodies had

been recovered from all eight affected districts in Nepal, with rescuers continuing searches for those missing and stranded in the aftermath of the August 26 floods.

India has deployed a forensic team of 19 people in Kathmandu to help Nepal identify victims.

The disaster, believed to have been triggered by a collapse or avalanche of ice and rock near the Nepal-Tibet border, swept through towns and villages in northern and central Nepal.

Nuwakot recorded a sharp increase in the number of missing people, with 1,158 reported missing on Monday, up from 115 a day earlier. Another 562 people remain unaccounted for in Rasuwa district.

The missing include 45 Nepali Army soldiers, 38 police and armed police personnel, and 19 customs and immigration officials. NDRRMA's latest update also listed 3,655 Nepali citizens and 320 foreigners among those missing.

Chitwan reported the highest number of recovered bodies at 272, followed by Nawalparasi East with 207, Nawalparasi West with 151 and Gorkha with 62. Another 95 bodies were recovered in Nuwakot, 55 in Dhading, 37 in Tanahu and 24 in Rasuwa.

The scale of the disaster has also been felt across the border in India.

Authorities in Uttar Pradesh have recovered 17 bodies from rivers flowing down from Nepal, which are believed to be victims of the floods. The bodies are yet to be identified and have not been included in Nepal's death toll.

The MEA confirmed that about 500 Indians still stuck in China are safe while 403 have made it across to Nepal.