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Himalayan Rock-and-Glacier Collapse Kills 616 and Leaves Thousands Missing

A newly formed debris-blocked lake and fresh cracks in nearby glaciers raise the risk of more flooding and are hampering rescue and identification efforts.

Overview

  • A massive rock-and-glacier collapse on Wednesday sent floods and debris through Nepal’s Rasuwa district and into the adjacent Tibet valley, destroying homes and infrastructure.
  • Nepal police report the death toll has risen to 616, with about 2,300 injured and roughly 2,426 people still missing, including hundreds of tourists.
  • The Nepalese army has rescued 350 people from the Upper Trishuli Hydropower Project tunnel while teams continue to reach more than 100 people still trapped in damaged sites.
  • Authorities say debris has formed a new barrier lake and that fresh cracks have appeared in nearby glaciers, prompting maximum-alert warnings over the risk of further sudden floods.
  • Rescue and relief work is constrained by washed-out roads, power and mobile outages, widespread damage to homes that affected an estimated 93,000 people, and a dire identification crisis as many recovered bodies are decomposed and require DNA sampling.