Death toll nears 800 after Himalayan glacier collapse

By AFP and Reuters. Published On 30 Aug 202630 Aug 2026.

Key points

• Nepal confirmed an updated death toll of 781 on Sunday, with 2, 502 residents missing, including 592 foreign nationals.
• According to the Red Cross, regarding 90, 000 residents in Nepal are probable affected by the disaster.
• International funding has begun to arrive, with the European Union promising $2.3m on Friday.
• Specialised teams from India, China, and South Korea have joined the search-and-rescue efforts.
• More than 100 workers are additionally believed to be trapped inside a number of hydropower tunnels.

At least 797 individuals have been killed and 3, 048 others remain missing after a glacier collapsed in the Himalayas, sending water and debris tearing through a number of villages.

Nepal confirmed an updated death toll of 781 on Sunday, with 2, 502 residents missing, including 592 foreign nationals. In China, state broadcaster CCTV documented 16 deaths and 546 residents missing, including 261 foreigners.

For context, the disaster occurred on Wednesday when part of a glacier at an altitude of roughly 5, 200 metres (17, 000 feet) collapsed, plunging around 1, 200m (3, 900ft) and gathering rock and debris before slamming into the Lende River.

Rescue operations have been suspended repeatedly since Friday due to poor weather and fears of fresh flooding. The disaster created a lake throughout the border between Nepal and China that has begun overflowing into Nepal's Lhende and Trishuli Rivers.

Authorities in Nepal began burying some of the victims on Sunday after taking DNA samples to allow for future identification. Plenty of bodies were carried away by the floodwaters, leaving families unable to locate and identify their relatives. Mass burials for hundreds of unidentified victims are taking place in Nepal's scenic Chitwan district, known for its forests and rivers.

Specialised teams from India, China, and South Korea have joined the search-and-rescue efforts. Malaysia is additionally deploying its Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance Search and Rescue Team (SMART) and contributing $1m in recovery assistance.

International funding has begun to arrive, with the European Union promising $2.3m on Friday. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has allocated more than $1m and introduced an emergency appeal for $31m.

In short, death toll nears 800 after Himalayan glacier collapse is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.