Rescuers in Nepal have pulled a 64-year-old woman alive from the rubble of her collapsed home 10 days after the floods struck, marking a rare success in the ongoing search for survivors. The death toll in Nepal has risen to at least 1,300, with nearly 5,000 people still missing, according to multiple reports.
The disaster, triggered by a glacial collapse on August 26, unleashed a torrent of ice, rock, and mud that tore through mountain districts, destroying infrastructure and burying entire villages. Rescue operations have entered their 12th day, with teams facing extreme challenges due to blocked tunnels, unstable terrain, and adverse weather.
In China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, the death toll has climbed to 43, with 519 people missing, as reported by Chinese state media. The total confirmed fatalities across both countries now exceed 1,400, with the gap between deaths and missing persons underscoring the difficulty of locating victims amid dense debris and floodwaters that may have carried bodies downstream.
Survivors and Rescues
Nepalese authorities confirmed the rescue of the elderly woman, Chandika Kumari Shrestha, from her mud-buried home in Betrawati village, where her family had already begun mourning her death. Rescue teams also extracted two more survivors from the Trishuli 3A hydropower project tunnels, bringing the total rescued from the site to three. A Chinese national was among those pulled from the tunnels, according to Nepal’s Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha.
Rescuers described the operation as grueling, with teams digging through concrete-like mud and using whistles to signal trapped survivors. In Betrawati, a town nearly completely buried under debris, officials reported finding 24 decomposed bodies in a single building five days prior.
Challenges and Ongoing Search
The Trishuli hydropower project, where multiple workers remain trapped, has become a focal point of the rescue effort. Authorities initially estimated that over 100 workers could still be alive in the tunnels, though no further updates on their status have been provided. Rescue teams, including Nepalese military personnel and South Korean disaster experts, continue to navigate 225-meter tunnels despite lack of connectivity and harsh conditions.
In Tibet, the Gyirong Port area, located deep in the Himalayas along the China-Nepal border, remains a critical zone for recovery efforts. Experts warn that the true toll may take weeks to establish, as floodwaters and debris could have buried victims or carried them far from the original disaster site.
Human Impact and Long-Term Concerns
The floods have left hundreds of thousands displaced, with entire communities cut off from aid due to destroyed roads and bridges. The disaster has also raised concerns about long-term infrastructure resilience in the region, particularly for hydropower projects and border crossings. Officials in both countries have not yet commented on potential policy changes or investigations into the glacial collapse.
As the search for survivors continues, the focus remains on locating the missing while addressing the immediate needs of affected populations.