Glacier Collapse Flood in Himalaya Kills About 1,130, 4,462 Missing

Overview

• A glacier collapse on 26 August sent a sudden surge of ice, rock, mud and water across the Nepal–Tibet border and triggered the catastrophic flood.
• Officials reported about 1,130 deaths and roughly 4,462 people still missing as of 2 September, and hopes of finding many more survivors are fading.
• Around 20,000 rescuers and international specialist teams are conducting search-and-rescue work, using explosives, drills and heavy machinery to reach buried tunnels at hydroelectric sites.
• Morgues are overwhelmed so authorities have begun provisional mass burials after taking DNA samples, while hundreds of foreign tourists and hundreds of hydroelectric workers remain unaccounted for.
• Rights groups say Chinese reporting undercounts Tibet casualties, Nepal leaders call for international support and scientists warn faster Himalayan warming raises the risk of similar glacier failures and costly reconstruction needs.