KATHMANDU, Nepal — Rescue crews pulled survivors from deep mud and helicopters airlifted stranded residents to safety Friday as Nepal and China continued a massive emergency operation following catastrophic flash floods along their Himalayan border.
The disaster began Wednesday after a huge collapse of rock and glacial material high in the mountains sent ice, boulders, water and debris crashing into river valleys below. The resulting torrents destroyed communities, roads, bridges and other infrastructure across parts of Nepal and China’s Tibet region. Satellite analysis indicates that bedrock beneath a glacier collapsed, producing the enormous debris flow.
The death toll continued to change rapidly Friday as authorities reached previously inaccessible areas. Associated Press reporting cited Nepal’s disaster-management authority as saying 579 people had died, while Nepalese police subsequently reported a somewhat lower figure of 553. Five deaths had been reported on the Chinese side. The differing official figures illustrate the difficulty authorities face in establishing an accurate toll while rescue operations remain underway.
Thousands more remain unaccounted for. The latest AP reporting said Nepal’s missing-person count had risen to 1,924, while Chinese state media previously reported another 558 people missing on the Chinese side. Hundreds of those missing are foreigners who had traveled to the region for work, trekking or religious pilgrimages.
More than 3,700 people have been rescued in Nepal, according to the same reporting. Helicopters have become essential because roads and bridges have been destroyed and thick mud has made many areas inaccessible to conventional vehicles.
One of the most difficult operations was underway in Nepal’s Rasuwa district, where the army was attempting to reach more than 100 people believed trapped by mud inside a tunnel associated with the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project. Approximately 350 people had already been rescued from the tunnel area.
Army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet said mud had covered the tunnel area so extensively that rescuers were having difficulty locating its entrances and exits. He said rescuers’ immediate priority remained finding and removing stranded people.
The danger has not ended with the initial flood. Authorities are closely monitoring a newly formed barrier lake high in the mountains. The lake formed after debris associated with the collapse obstructed the natural flow of water, and officials warned that overflowing or failure of the natural barrier could unleash another destructive surge.
Nepalese police also issued an alert Friday after receiving information that a dam on the Tibetan side of the border had burst. It was not immediately clear whether that report was connected to the newly formed barrier lake. Rescue workers were ordered to remain prepared to retreat to higher ground if conditions deteriorated.
The threat became serious enough that some rescue operations were temporarily halted. Teams later resumed work, but authorities continued warning residents and emergency personnel about the possibility of secondary flooding and additional landslides.
Survivors have described an extraordinary wall of mud and debris arriving with little warning. Customs officer Karbir Gaire said he was working in Timure, near the Chinese border, when he felt the ground shake and then saw what he described as a dark mass approaching. Scientists later determined that seismic signals initially associated with an earthquake were generated by the enormous collapse and debris flow.
The catastrophe has left entire communities buried or isolated. Some survivors have been transported to Kathmandu and other locations for treatment, while relatives have gathered at hospitals seeking information about missing family members.
The full human cost remains uncertain. With hundreds of rescuers moving through unstable terrain, helicopters continuing evacuation flights and large numbers of people still missing on both sides of the border, authorities expect search-and-rescue operations to continue.
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By B. Wilder, Staff Reporter contributed to this report.
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