Nepal ramps up rescue operations as flood death toll surpasses 900

Nepal’s rescue teams, assisted by Chinese and Indian specialists, are now accelerating efforts to retrieve more than 900 workers believed to be trapped underground in hydropower projects struck by catastrophic flash floods.

Officials in Nepal said Monday that the priority remains reaching workers confined in roughly a dozen hydropower tunnels that have been blocked by mud and rock debris.

Big challenge

Images and footage shared by rescue crews in Nepal show heavy machinery digging and shoveling through mud and rock under night lights as workers observe. Soldiers used torches in a large pit they had carved out to find an entry point to one of the tunnels.

“A massive amount of debris has been deposited, making it extremely difficult to clear the tunnels,” Nepal army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet told Reuters.

“Our primary goal is to reopen the tunnels.”

Hundreds of bodies, many unidentified, have been laid in shallow graves and are beginning to decompose in the humid conditions after being swept down the mountains by the torrent.

At a hospital in the capital Kathmandu, morgues have reached capacity and families are heading to other facilities in hopes of locating missing loved ones, reported Al Jazeera’s Minelle Fernandez.

In addition to the 933 missing hydropower workers, around 500 workers from the Truck and Container Association are also unaccounted for, said Fernandez.

The Red Cross estimates that more than 90,000 people have been impacted by the disaster, which China has linked to climate change.

Prime Minister Kamal Bahadur Shah described the flood as an “unprecedented and devastating natural disaster” and noted that compiling a full damage assessment remains difficult.

“Despite harsh weather, rugged terrain, and ongoing hazards, we are moving forward with determination to save our citizens,” he posted on Facebook late Sunday, adding that nearly 21,000 security personnel, civilian workers, and volunteers are involved in rescue operations.

While many roads and highways have been cleared, approximately 40 kilometres of road were completely washed away, reported Fernandez.

“There are still challenges delivering aid to affected communities, but authorities, agencies, and their networks are working through them.”

China’s expertise and aid

China’s state media reported that the government has mobilized over 2,100 rescue workers and allocated at least 220 million yuan (approximately $33 million) to support relief operations. Equipment and supplies have been airdropped to front‑line responders, and Chinese soldiers have used life‑detection devices to search for the missing.

Beijing said 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries are reported missing in Tibet.

“President Xi Jinping has called for an all‑out effort to rescue those missing in the mudslide, marking his second such appeal,” said Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu reporting from Beijing.

“This appears to be the Chinese leader’s effort to urge people not only to continue but to redouble their efforts as the situation grows increasingly dire.”

China has dispatched nine tunnel‑rescue specialists to Nepal and shared satellite data with Nepalese authorities, Yu added.

Although Nepal has stated it does not need foreign assistance for general search‑and‑rescue, it has accepted help from neighboring giants India and China for their specialized tunnel‑rescue expertise.

Rescue work has been halted several times since Friday due to poor weather and concerns that a lake formed across the Nepal‑China border could overflow and cause new flooding.

Weather improved on Monday, and rescue operations are gaining momentum, said Narendra Pariyar, district administrator of Rasuwa, one of the hardest‑hit districts.

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