Nepal death toll from floods rises to 750 as authorities warn of new danger

Authorities in Nepal warned on Sunday of possible new flooding in already devastated districts after the Bhotekoshi River's water level rose again, sending phone alerts to residents while rescue teams worked to evacuate a key route linking Kathmandu to one of the areas hit hardest by Wednesday's floods.

In the town of Galchhi, residents climbed to a nearby bridge to watch the swollen river below, pointing to huge boulders swept downstream in the earlier disaster while people on a suspension bridge were warned away with whistles. Thick grey-brown mud still covers the worst-affected communities, with houses, cars and farm tractors visible jutting out from the debris. Sections of riverside rice terraces have collapsed into the water due to landslides.

Toll continues to climb

As of Sunday, the combined death toll across Nepal and Tibet stood at 750, with over 3,000 people still unaccounted for. Nepal's disaster agency reported 734 dead and 2,498 missing, while Chinese authorities confirmed 16 deaths and 546 missing on their side, including more than a hundred Nepali nationals and citizens from over a dozen other countries.

The latest warning followed word from Chinese authorities that water flow had increased upstream, according to Dharam Raj Uprety, chief executive of Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority. Residents in flood-hit villages described exhaustion from near-constant alarms since Wednesday, often forcing them to flee to higher ground at night and in the rain while caring for elderly relatives.

Both large concrete bridges and smaller suspension bridges have been destroyed, cutting off communities on opposite riverbanks from one another. Many homes and businesses that survived the flooding remain without power, with toppled poles and tangled wires left buried in mud. The Prithivi Highway, a vital supply route for food, fuel and goods into Kathmandu, is mostly operational, though parts still await repair.