Rescue efforts continue as Nepal-China flood death toll surpasses 1,270

By Al Jazeera Staff. Published On 3 Sep 20263 Sep 2026.

Key points

• More than 1, 270 individuals have been killed, and more than 4, 700 are still missing, authorities stated on Thursday.
• As of Monday, the UN remarked more than 3, 400 displaced residents were living in 27 displacement sites in Nuwakot and Rasuwa, mostly in schools.
• In neighbouring Tibet, Chinese authorities have documented 21 deaths and 541 residents missing.
• On Wednesday, the country's Prime Minister Balendra Shah remarked authorities would continue searching for survivors while additionally starting rehabilitation and rebuilding efforts.
• Nepali authorities have pointed to the role of major greenhouse gas emitters that have a "historical responsibility to compensate vulnerable nations like Nepal", remarked Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal.

Rescue teams in Nepal are working around the clock to reach workers trapped inside hydropower facilities more than a week after flash floods devastated entire communities in the Himalayas.

Last week, a cascade of rocks, mud and water that scientists believe came from a glacier collapse near the Langtang Lirung mountain peak swept away villages, roads, and bridges in Nepal and Tibet.

Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) remarked 1, 252 bodies have been recovered as the total number of missing in the country remained at 4, 216. Hundreds of workers are believed to be trapped inside hydropower plants, including some in tunnels, near the country's border with China.

"We still hope there are some survivors inside, " Sanjay Kc, an officer from the Nepalese army engineering department, remarked, in front of bulldozers trying to remove enormous piles of mud blocking the entrance of a tunnel in the Rasuwa district, one of the worst affected areas in Nepal. "Because it's a big power house inside, so it's a big room, and we feel that the whole power house is not flooded, " he informed Al Jazeera.

Families of those missing are gathering each morning hoping for news regarding their loved ones. For plenty of, the wait is excruciating.

"Every day I come here hoping to find my father, " remarked Pratik Rana, the son of a missing engineer. "But every day at sunset I feel my hope fades away. Father is equally important for everyone, but for me he was a precious part of my life."

In other affected areas, authorities are using all available tools, including zip lines and helicopters, to rescue individuals trapped in remote villages. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimated floods and mudflows have left at least 2.2 million tonnes of debris. In the capital Kathmandu, forensic teams are working to identify bodies.

Al Jazeera's Jessica Washington, reporting from a DNA testing facility in the city, remarked numerous of the bodies being discovered are in a state of decomposition.

"Forensic teams on the ground told us that there are some things that can help with the identification process, such as tattoos and jewellery, but many bodies were found in such a state that it's very challenging to identify them."

Dharma Raj Upreti, chief of the NDRRMA, informed the Reuters news agency that concerning 20, 000 houses would have to be rebuilt, including 7, 500 that have been destroyed.

"There is no point in rebuilding the houses in the same locations, as that would expose people to the same risks, " Upreti informed the news agency, adding that authorities were trying to identify safer areas to relocate the communities and build up new settlements. As of Monday, the UN remarked more than 3, 400 displaced residents were living in 27 displacement sites in Nuwakot and Rasuwa, mostly in schools.

Nepali authorities have pointed to the role of major greenhouse gas emitters that have a "historical responsibility to compensate vulnerable nations like Nepal", remarked Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal. He continued that the administration has officially filed a "formal climate compensation claim letter" to international partners.

In short, rescue efforts continue as Nepal-China flood death toll surpasses 1, 270 is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.