Nepal rescuers continue search for survivors as water buildup near China border raises new flood fears

Two days after devastating floods struck Nepal, search and rescue operations are still under way. Authorities estimate that around 900 people remain missing, while the confirmed death toll has risen to 469. In the Trisuli area, rescuers are combing through mud-covered streets and collapsed buildings, while helicopters fly over the affected regions delivering aid and searching for possible survivors.

David Fisher, a Red Cross representative in Nepal, told the BBC that people remain deeply anxious about the possibility of further flooding, stressing that rescue teams are working under extremely difficult conditions. The disaster was triggered by a glacier collapse in the mountains, sending a massive mass of ice, rock, mud and soil down river valleys, in places blocking the rivers' flow. Behind this natural barrier, near the Nepal-China border, water has been accumulating into what is known as a dammed lake. Chinese authorities have warned that it could overflow in the coming days, potentially causing another devastating flood wave.

Particular attention is being paid to a hydropower plant tunnel near Trisuli, where the fate of several people remains unknown. The Nepalese army has sent two helicopters to the site; some workers and local residents have already been rescued from the tunnel, but the search continues.

Six Latvians among the missing

Many of those unaccounted for were pilgrims travelling to the Mount Kailash region. Reports indicate that six Latvian citizens are among the missing: Ārija Lāce, Evita Sarma, Igors Dobrovoļskis, Inga Veisa, Olga Labada and Sofija Dobrovoļska. Relatives are appealing on social media for help locating a Latvian travel group of around 30 people with whom contact has been lost. Families from Australia, India, the United Kingdom and the United States have posted similar appeals about their missing loved ones.

Climate change and the disaster's toll

It was initially thought an earthquake may have triggered the floods, but the US Geological Survey later confirmed the tremor was actually linked to the glacier collapse. Daniel Shugar, a geologist at the University of Calgary, explained that climate change is making glaciers thinner and less stable, meaning such events are becoming more frequent in the Himalayan region, though it remains too early to directly link this specific disaster to climate change. The disaster has also caused severe economic damage, with authorities reporting around 80 bridges and 40 kilometers of roads destroyed — infrastructure vital to Nepal's trade with China and India.