KATHMANDU, 29 August, 2026 (Ghufran): Nepal resumed search and rescue operations on Saturday after a brief suspension caused by adverse weather, as authorities continued efforts to locate nearly 3,000 people reported missing following devastating floods that killed hundreds and caused widespread destruction in the Himalayan region bordering Tibet. Officials said around 2,426 people remain missing in Nepal, while another 554 are missing in Tibet’s Gyirong County. At least 540 foreign nationals are among those missing, many of them Hindu pilgrims from India. Nepal has called for specialist foreign assistance to support rescue and recovery efforts. The country’s finance minister said Nepal would require approximately $4 billion to $5 billion for reconstruction following the disaster.The disaster was triggered by a glacier collapse on Wednesday, sending a massive torrent of rocks, ice, mud and debris through mountain river systems. The floods destroyed or damaged buildings, bridges and power stations. At least 669 people have been reported dead in Nepal, while seven people were killed in China’s Tibet region.
A police official in the badly affected Rasuwa district said rescue operations had been temporarily suspended because of rain and fog but resumed later in the afternoon after weather conditions improved. “Helicopters are flying and the operation resumed following some improvement in weather,” the official said.Rescue operations had also been suspended on Friday after a lake formed near the Nepal-China border began overflowing toward the Lhende Khola and Trishuli rivers. By Saturday, the immediate risk from the lake had eased, with parts of its bed becoming visible. Chinese authorities and state broadcaster CCTV reported that satellite images indicated the water level was gradually declining. Nepali authorities said flood risks would continue until both upstream lakes in the affected area had completely drained. Meanwhile, officials said some recovered bodies had decomposed to such an extent that they could no longer be identified. Authorities plan to bury the unidentified bodies after completing legal formalities because of public health concerns and the risk of disease outbreaks. The Chitwan district administration said DNA samples would be collected from the bodies before they are buried in an open area.Authorities said search and rescue operations, assistance to affected communities and rehabilitation of damaged areas would continue as weather conditions permit.