Deadly floods on the Sino-Nepalese border: more than 700 dead and 3,000 missing

The provisional toll from the devastating flood that occurred on Wednesday in Nepal, on the border with China, rose to 734 dead and 2,498 missing, the Nepalese authority responsible for emergency management announced on Sunday. Chinese state media, for their part, reported a toll of 16 dead and 546 missing on their territory, bringing the total victims of the disaster to 750 dead and 3,044 missing.

Chinese rescuers intervening in Tibet, hit on Wednesday like Nepal by a deadly flood, were “moved to a safe place” on Sunday after the formation of a new lake caused by a landslide, state media reported. “On the evening of August 29, surveillance drones deployed in the area detected a landslide on a mountain slope, 2.8 kilometers downstream of the Purepuqiang Tsangpo dam lake,” the public channel said, referring to a lake that in previous days had threatened rescue operations.

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"The landslide has created a new dam and a new dam lake is forming," CCTV said, adding that rescue personnel near the Gyirong border port had been moved to safer areas.

“Exercise caution”

For its part, Nepal called on rescue teams to be “cautious” this Sunday due to a new rise in water levels in the area bordering China. “We have received reports that the flood flow of the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa district has further increased,” the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said in a warning issued shortly before 0200 GMT.

“Therefore, all personnel engaged in search, rescue and relief operations, persons in riverine areas, as well as all other persons in the affected areas, including Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and Chitwan, are requested to exercise caution,” authorities said in their warning.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said Wednesday morning's disaster on the China-Nepal border was caused by the collapse of a glacier, sending a wall of water and debris downstream.