Nepal Flood Disaster: Death Toll Passes 1,375 as Rescuers Free Survivors From Hydropower Tunnels

Rescue teams in Nepal's Himalayan region are facing a race against time after catastrophic flooding and debris flows destroyed communities and left a large number of people missing. The scale of the disaster is still being established.

Stream26 News has verified reports of widespread destruction across affected areas, with roads, bridges, and buildings damaged or swept away, and rescue operations complicated by mountainous terrain. The most alarming issue is the number of people who remain unaccounted for.

Early figures have varied considerably, reflecting how difficult it is for authorities to determine exactly how many people were in the affected areas when the disaster struck.

Damaged transport routes have restricted rescuer access, while unstable terrain adds further risk to anyone attempting to reach isolated communities. Families are still waiting for information about relatives whose whereabouts remain unknown, and the humanitarian situation is being compounded by concerns about further flooding and possible additional infrastructure failure.

Scientists have long warned that warming temperatures can destabilize high-altitude glacial environments, potentially increasing the risk of sudden water releases — but the precise role of climate change in this specific disaster requires further scientific assessment and should not be assumed without evidence.

Nearly two weeks on, the picture has come into sharper focus. The death toll across Nepal and Tibet has now reached 1,375, according to authorities on both sides of the border, with more than 5,000 people still listed as missing — including roughly 900 workers at hydropower sites along the Trishuli River. There has been a rare note of hope in the recovery effort: on September 3, two men were pulled alive from a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower plant, nine days after the floods hit, with help from South Korean and other international tunnel-rescue specialists — three workers found alive in 48 hours alone.

The immediate priority remains rescue and survival. Authorities and humanitarian agencies are continuing to assess the damage while trying to reach communities cut off by the destruction.