Poor weather temporarily hindered aerial rescue efforts in Nepal on Saturday as the search for thousands of missing individuals in areas devastated by catastrophic flash floods along the China border reached its fourth day.
Rescue workers and military personnel have been working continuously since Wednesday’s disaster, which resulted in over 600 deaths and left approximately 3,000 people unaccounted for. While some survivors have been retrieved from the mud, crews are still searching several locations for those who remain missing.
However, Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet, a spokesperson for the Nepali Army, stated Saturday morning that helicopter operations were suspended pending improved weather conditions. Flights later resumed in certain areas during the day.
Survivors Arrive in Safe Zones
In Nuwakot, one of the districts severely impacted by the floods, Associated Press journalists observed helicopters resuming operations before noon on Saturday.
Some helicopters transported aid supplies, including clothes, instant noodles, crackers, and rice, while others returned from the flood-affected zones carrying survivors.
An elderly man was carefully assisted off one helicopter, while a soldier carried an older woman to a medical tent. Medics there checked her blood pressure, breathing, heartbeat, as well as her teeth and gums.
Most evacuees arrived with only the clothes they were wearing or, in some instances, a small plastic bag.
About a dozen people emerged from another helicopter, and soldiers carried several babies who had also been evacuated. These evacuees were brought from the nearby community of Trishuli.
Families Await News on Missing Loved Ones
At a relief center in Nuwakot, people waited anxiously on Saturday for updates regarding missing relatives.
Military personnel taped sheets listing dozens of missing persons to a wall, causing families to gather closely to search for their loved ones. Some examined the lists, took photographs, and wiped away tears while reviewing the names.
Outside, people walked along mud-covered streets past visible signs of the disaster. On one street, a truck was stuck in the mud with its bed raised into the air.
Rescuers Struggle to Locate Survivors in Affected Areas
Search and rescue operations continued across several locations in Nepal and China’s Tibet, including the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project in Rasuwa district, Nepal, and the heavily damaged Gyirong border crossing on the Chinese side.
Nepali Army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet confirmed that rescue efforts would persist at the hydropower construction site, where authorities suspect more than 100 people are trapped inside a tunnel filled with thick mud.
Basnet noted that rescuers had used baskets and ropes to reach some individuals, but the operation remained challenging due to 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 meters) of mud and the limited number of suitable landing sites for helicopters. He also mentioned that rescue teams were temporarily relocated when authorities issued warnings about potential further flooding.
Rescuers remain on high alert for more flooding from a new lake formed in the Himalayan mountains following Wednesday’s initial floods. Experts cautioned that this lake, created by a glacier collapse that triggered the floods, was beginning to overflow.
Monitoring data from the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources indicated late Friday that the lake had decreased in size. According to Chinese broadcaster CCTV, the water level dropped 10 meters (32 feet) from its high point on Thursday morning.
Aid trucks were observed traveling from Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, toward the affected regions.
Search Continues at Devastated China-Nepal Border Crossing
The broadcaster aired Saturday footage showing rescuers reaching Gyirong Port, the severely impacted border crossing with Nepal. Some reached the area by foot and via rafts, while others were lowered using drones flown to the location. Rescuers were heard yelling, “Anyone, anyone?” according to the broadcaster’s footage.
It was not immediately clear how many people were present at the border checkpoint building when the floods struck.
On Saturday, Nepal’s disaster agency reported that the death toll had risen to 626, with 2,426 people missing in the country. Information on survivors on the Chinese side was limited; there, the death toll reached seven on Friday as state media displayed evacuations and leaders directing relief efforts.
More than 3,700 people have been rescued in Nepal so far. China’s state media reported that 554 people were missing on the Chinese side. Hundreds of those missing individuals are foreigners who were in the area for work, trekking, or pilgrimage to a sacred peak.
___ Kafle reported from Kathmandu, Nepal. Associated Press journalists Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Sibi Arasu in Bengaluru, India; Upendra Mansingh in Nuwakot district, Nepal; Aijaz Hussain in New Delhi, India; and Didi Tang in Washington contributed to this report.