The death toll from last month’s catastrophic flash floods and mudslides along the Nepal-China border has risen to more than 1,400 in Nepal, authorities said on Wednesday, with thousands of people still unaccounted for.
Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 1,403 people had been confirmed dead, while 13,742 had been rescued.
Another 6,150 people remain missing in Nepal, including 587 foreign nationals.
Across the border in China, authorities have reported 43 deaths and 519 people missing. Among those unaccounted for are 261 foreign nationals in Tibet, officially designated by Beijing as the Xizang Autonomous Region.
The disaster began on August 26 when part of a glacier on Nepal’s Mount Langtang Lirung fractured at an altitude of approximately 5,200 metres (17,060 feet).
The collapse triggered a powerful ice-and-rock avalanche that developed into a massive debris flow, sweeping through valleys on both sides of the border.
In Nepal, floodwaters and mudslides caused widespread devastation across Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and Kavre districts, as well as parts of the Kathmandu Valley.
On the Chinese side, the disaster buried the Gyirong border crossing in Xizang, adding to widespread destruction along the mountainous frontier.
With thousands still listed as missing, rescue and recovery operations remain ongoing.