Nepal flood death toll rises over 1,300 as rescuers scour tunnels

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A man looks at the remains of sludge-ridden houses in the aftermath of flash floods at Devighat in Nepal’s Nuwakot district on September 8, 2026. The August 26 glacial and mountain collapse on the China-Nepal border killed at least 1,399 people, with more than 5,500 missing, including around 800 foreigners. (Photo by Pedro PARDO / AFP)

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The death toll from Nepal’s devastating flood rose on Tuesday to 1,357, with 5,326 people still missing, the country’s disaster authority said nearly two weeks after the August 26 disaster.

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In China, 43 people were confirmed dead and 519 missing, according to state media, bringing the overall toll to 1,400 dead and 5,845 missing.

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Rescue work continued in Nepal for a 14th day after the devastating glacial and mountain collapse near the China-Nepal border swept away roads, bridges and homes.

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Nepali rescuers are focusing on three hydropower projects where they believe workers could still be trapped, the disaster agency said.

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Hundreds of hydropower workers are among the missing, but the rescue of three from deep inside tunnels — two Nepalis on Friday and a Chinese man on Saturday — has raised hopes that others could still be alive.

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“Our search and rescue operation is ongoing,” Dharam Raj Uprety, chief of the country’s disaster authority, told AFP.

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“We are hoping that there might still be survivors in at least three projects, and we are pushing our operations there.”

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Foreign experts, including from China, India and South Korea, are aiding Nepali teams.

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“We have also received reports that there are stranded people higher on the hill,” Uprety added.

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With mortuaries overflowing, Nepal has buried hundreds of bodies in mass graves after collecting DNA samples for future identification, according to police.

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While the exact cause of the glacial collapse is unclear, climate change is accelerating glacial melt worldwide, increasing the risk of such disasters.

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Nepal, a largely rural nation of 30 million people that has contributed little to the greenhouse gas emissions driving global warming, has said reconstruction could cost billions of dollars.

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David Fisher, of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said reaching communities isolated by the floods was a daunting task because of “narrow and dangerous” access routes.

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“Every delay means families wait longer for the support they urgently need,” he said in a statement.

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