The death toll from devastating floods and landslides in Nepal and Tibet has risen to at least 584, with a further 2,482 people reported missing, according
to figures available on Friday evening. Nepal accounts for 579 of the deaths and 1,924 of those missing, while five people have died and 558 remain missing in Tibet. Nepal Police has maintained a higher number of people reported missing, while rescue teams continue searching tunnels and other areas cut off or left without communications. Rescue operations were repeatedly disrupted on Friday by the risk of further flooding. An unstable barrier lake overflowed into the Bhote Koshi River, sending another surge downstream and briefly forcing rescue teams to halt operations. Hours later, an avalanche released an estimated 50,000 cubic metres of ice debris. Satellite images later showed another potentially dangerous development: a larger lake upstream was continuing to grow, with no visible outlet. Hundreds of Indians Remain Uncontactable India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said 320 Indian nationals in Nepal remained "uncontactable" on Friday, up from 290 previously. Around 100 people of Indian origin holding other nationalities were also out of contact. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described the situation as "dynamic" and said India had not confirmed any deaths among its nationals. Officials were seeking further information from Nepalese authorities.
At least 84 Indian nationals have been rescued, the MEA said. They include 63 workers from the Trishuli-1 hydropower project and 21 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu.
The 21 pilgrims arrived in Delhi on Friday. "First, good news: 21 Indian nationals who had yesterday arrived in Kathmandu from the area which was affected by the flood have landed in Delhi," Jaiswal said.
The MEA also said 149 Indians crossed into Nepal from Tibet on Friday, while around 400 others were safe on the Chinese side.
Missing Numbers Rise Sharply
Nepal's official missing figure nearly doubled within hours to almost 2,000 as authorities added new names from devastated settlements, hydropower projects and tourism groups.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said 4,451 people had been rescued. The rapidly changing figures reflect the difficulty of bringing together reports from families, local administrations, employers, tour operators and security agencies as rescue teams reach previously inaccessible areas.
Searches along a 50-mile stretch of destruction were further complicated by fears of additional flooding.
Nepali authorities have warned that water from newly formed lakes created by the landslide that triggered Wednesday's disaster could overflow and send more torrents into valleys. About 30,000 Nepali security personnel have been deployed for the relief operation, according to the United Nations.
Nepal Army personnel took many rescued people to a barracks beside the Trishuli River on Friday. People could be seen checking printed lists of survivors in the hope of finding the names of missing relatives and friends.
According to Nepal Police, 233 bodies have been recovered in Chitwan, 154 in Nawalparasi East, 46 in Gorkha and 40 in Dhading. A further 37 bodies were recovered in Nuwakot, 30 in Tanahu, 27 in Nawalparasi West and 12 in Rasuwa.
Chinese authorities said five people had died in Gyirong County in the Tibet Autonomous Region.
Morgues Run Out of Space
Hospitals in several parts of Nepal are struggling to accommodate the number of bodies being recovered. Bodies carried downstream from Rasuwa and Nuwakot have been found as far away as Chitwan, Tanahun, Nawalparasi and Gorkha, with morgues in several areas running out of space.
The disaster has also disrupted education. Nepal's government has decided to suspend all examinations from 29 August because of the situation.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah and his cabinet members have decided to donate a month's salary to the disaster relief fund. The cabinet has also instructed the finance ministry to prepare a package covering relief, concessional financing and rehabilitation for individuals and businesses affected by the floods.
China, meanwhile, has issued a Level-IV emergency alert late on Thursday after a large barrier lake formed near the confluence of the Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers in Nepal. China's natural disaster emergency system has four levels, with Level I the highest and Level IV the lowest.
Chinese authorities told Nepal that about 2 million cubic metres of water had accumulated in the lake, with a further 3 million cubic metres potentially flowing into it over three days.
