Nepal-China Border Floods Leave Over 1300 Dead, Thousands Missing

The death toll from catastrophic floods and landslides near the Nepal-China border has reached at least 1,375 people, with approximately 5,530 others reported missing, according to the latest official figures from both countries. Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority reported on September 6 that 1,344 people had died and around 5,000 were missing, including hundreds of foreign nationals. In China's Tibet Autonomous Region, 31 deaths have been confirmed, with 531 people still unaccounted for. The disaster occurred on August 26 following the collapse of a section of a glacier in the Himalayas. A massive flow of ice, rocks, and mud surged through valleys along the Nepal-Tibet border, destroying settlements, roads, bridges, and energy infrastructure. The Gyirong border crossing between Nepal and Tibet was severely damaged.

Search and rescue operations are ongoing. In Nepal, rescuers have recently pulled several individuals alive from hydroelectric power plant tunnels where they had been trapped for over a week. Hundreds of workers may still be buried under debris or trapped in flooded tunnels. Obtaining precise data from the Tibetan side remains challenging. Relatives of missing foreigners have complained about a lack of information from Chinese authorities, while Beijing maintains it is providing timely updates and communicating with diplomatic missions of countries whose citizens are missing.

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues its efforts to locate two Israeli citizens who disappeared during the disaster: Ron Cohen, 60, last heard from in the Tibet region, and Katerina Sakovich, 41, who holds both Israeli and Belarusian citizenship. As of the morning of September 6, no new confirmed information regarding their fate had been received.