The death toll from Nepal's catastrophic floods has risen to 939, while 3,925 people remain missing, according to the latest figures available from the country's disaster management authority on Monday evening. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said the toll had climbed as search teams continued recovering bodies along the flood-hit river system. The figures mark a significant increase from Monday morning's count of 903 deaths, while the number listed as missing declined from 4,247.
Among those still missing are 639 workers associated with hydropower projects and 592 foreign nationals. Scores of Nepali security personnel and government employees also remain unaccounted for. Search teams are concentrating on Rasuwa and Nuwakot, where hundreds of hydropower workers were caught in the disaster and some are feared trapped inside mud-filled tunnels.
158 Indian nationals rescued so far
A total of 158 Indian nationals have been rescued from flood-ravaged Nepal, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Monday, as Indian technical and forensic teams continued rescue and relief operations in coordination with Nepali authorities. According to the MEA's update, the figure stood at 158 as of 9 pm on August 31, with specialised Indian teams working at some of the worst-affected locations following the devastating floods. The rescue operations come as Nepal continues to grapple with widespread destruction caused by the disaster, with thousands of people still unaccounted for and rescue teams facing difficult terrain and adverse weather.
Tunnel teams press ahead
An Indian tunnel rescue team continued operations alongside the Nepali Army at the Chilime and Langtang hydropower sites, where efforts are underway to locate people feared trapped inside damaged tunnels. Despite inclement weather and difficult access conditions at Chilime, the Indian team managed to establish a foothold at the tunnel and put safety ropes in place to allow further movement inside.
At Langtang, the Indian technical team, working with Nepali personnel, was able to probe up to a depth of 185 metres inside the tunnel. Rescue operations are set to continue as teams attempt to penetrate deeper into the affected structures. India's Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava said the technical team had worked at both locations in coordination with the Nepali Army despite challenging conditions. The tunnel specialists were deployed after the floods severely affected hydropower installations, raising concerns that workers could be trapped in underground structures.
Forensic experts join identification efforts
India has also deployed a specialised forensic team to Kathmandu to assist Nepali authorities with the identification of victims. The experts continued working with their counterparts at the Nepal Police's forensic laboratory, focusing on protocols and documentation required for the identification process. The Indian team has also held discussions with experts from the Nepal Police's Central Forensic Science Laboratory and the Forensics Department of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital.
The forensic deployment assumes significance as Nepali authorities face the difficult task of identifying large numbers of victims recovered after the disaster.
Race against time to reach workers trapped in Nepal hydropower tunnels
At least 639 hydropower workers remain missing as multinational rescue teams battle mud, debris and difficult access inside flood-hit projects
Rescue teams raced against time to reach workers feared trapped inside flood-hit hydropower tunnels in Nepal, with 639 workers and employees at hydropower projects still missing, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority's 6 pm update. Operations are concentrated across projects in Rasuwa and Nuwakot, where tunnels were inundated or blocked by mud and debris after the August 26 floods. At Upper Trishuli-1, Nepali, Korean and Chinese teams continued searching inside the tunnel after rescuing 254 people from the project, while a 90-member security team was deployed inside Upper Trishuli-3A.
Earlier, rescuers had searched around 300 metres inside Upper Trishuli-1 and recovered a body, while two bodies were found during operations at Chilime. “A large amount of debris has been deposited and that is posing us a big challenge to open the tunnels,” Nepal Army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet said. “Our main focus is on opening the tunnels.”
Relief supplies reach Nepal
India has simultaneously stepped up humanitarian assistance. A fourth flight carrying around 11 tonnes of relief supplies reached Nepal as part of New Delhi's continuing support for rescue and recovery operations. The consignment included search-and-rescue equipment as well as essential relief material such as blankets, sleeping bags, tarpaulins, plastic sheets and hygiene kits. Technical specialists and forensic experts equipped for DNA analysis were also sent as part of India's assistance.
The rescue of 158 Indian nationals marks an increase from the 108 reported rescued by the MEA over the weekend, even as efforts continue to trace people who remain missing or uncontactable following the floods. Nepal has mobilised its security forces and emergency agencies while coordinating with India and other countries for specialised rescue equipment, forensic expertise and humanitarian assistance as search operations continue across the disaster zone.
Indian specialists, meanwhile, continued working with the Nepali Army at the Chilime and Langtang hydropower sites despite bad weather and difficult access. The Indian team established a foothold and installed safety ropes at Chilime, while at Langtang rescuers were able to probe 185 metres inside the tunnel. India's Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava said the teams had worked at both sites in coordination with the Nepali Army, adding that rescue efforts would continue on Tuesday. The Nepal Army said 279 people had so far been rescued from affected hydropower sites, including 254 from Upper Trishuli-1, as specialists from India, China and South Korea joined Nepal's effort to reach those still unaccounted for.