Death toll from Nepal-China flash floods reaches 633, nearly 3,000 missing

The death toll from the catastrophic flash floods and landslides that struck Nepal and China has risen to 633, while nearly 3,000 people remain missing, according to the latest data from local authorities and media on Saturday.

In Nepal, the death toll climbed to 626, with 2,426 people still unaccounted for, the Kathmandu Post reported, citing Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).

Search teams continue to recover bodies carried away by the fast-flowing swollen rivers.

Chitwan and Nawalparasi East are among the worst-affected areas, while dozens of victims have also been found in Gorkha, Dhading and Nuwakot after the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers burst their banks. Both rivers are major waterways originating in the Himalayan region.

Bodies have been found as far as the border area with India. A significant number of foreign nationals remain among those whose whereabouts are still unknown.

India has said that 320 of its citizens are still missing in Nepal, making Indians the largest known group of foreign nationals yet to be located.

“As far as the number of people we are unable to contact or who are missing is concerned, the figure currently stands at 320,” Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a press conference on Friday (28/8), according to a ministry statement on social media platform X.

Jaiswal said around 100 people of Indian descent who may hold other citizenships also remain uncontactable.

India has also said dozens of its citizens have been rescued, including 63 people working on the Trishuli-1 hydroelectric power project.

Meanwhile, seven people have died and 554 others remain missing in China, according to the Xinhua news agency.

The number of missing may still change as search and rescue teams continue to locate people who were previously uncontactable due to communication disruptions after the flash floods damaged electrical infrastructure.

Nepali authorities reported that 2,301 people have been rescued or received treatment for injuries, with the majority of survivors located in Nuwakot and Rasuwa districts.

Police data shows 27 officers remain uncontactable, while 4,811 personnel have been deployed across affected areas to handle recovery efforts.

Nepal has approved the entry of international search and rescue teams.

“We are under immense pressure from the international community to allow at least search and rescue teams and some experts because their citizens are also missing in the floods,” an unnamed official told the Kathmandu Post.

The Independent Power Producers’ Association reported that 934 people linked to 11 hydroelectric power plant sites affected by the floods in Nepal remain unaccounted for, according to a Xinhua report.

“Current estimates suggest around 93,000 people may be affected, while assessments are still ongoing in hard-to-reach areas,” according to the International Red Cross.

The death toll and number of missing are expected to change further as rescue teams reach isolated areas and authorities restore communication networks disrupted by the floods.