Summary

  • At least 675 people have died and more than 2,400 people are missing in Nepal, local officials say, after flash floods on Wednesday

  • Rescue efforts continue on the Nepal-Tibet border - 320 foreign nationals are among the missing, Nepal's tourism board says

  • In Tibet, the official death toll is seven, with 554 reported to be missing, according to Chinese state media

  • Information is more tightly controlled by the Chinese authorities and it has been harder to assess the scale of the disaster in Tibet

  • Levels at a lake formed after the floods - which had prompted safety concerns over fears it could overflow - are now receding, Chinese officials say

Live Reporting

Edited by Kathryn Armstrong

  1. What caused the landslide?

    Initial reports of an earthquake on the Nepal-Tibet border led many to believe that a tremor had caused a landslide, which in turn caused the devastating floods early on Wednesday.

    However, the US Geological Survey (USGS) later confirmed the disaster was caused by a "glacial collapse", which is when a glacier or part of a glacier disintegrates.

    The impact of the collapsed glacier hitting the bottom of a valley was so powerful that it registered a magnitude of 5.2, according to the agency, causing "subsequent catastrophic impacts downstream".

    Powerful floodwaters and debris travelled some 62 miles (100km) downstream from the Trishuli and Bhote Koshi Rivers, the USGS said, careering through towns popular with mountaineering tourists and pilgrims in northern Nepal.

    The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIDMOD) has warned secondary flooding could occur in the coming days as a result of debris that washed into the river systems.

    The ICIDMOD said they were assessing whether the Trishuli River had been temporarily blocked in narrow sections. If this is the case, it is at risk of forming a landslide dam and a second flood.

    A five-step illustration explains a glacier collapse and its impacts. First, a section of glacier breaks off high on a mountain at 5,200m. Second, the falling ice drops 1,200m, gathering rocks and debris. Third, the debris blocks a river and dams water behind it. Fourth, the dam fails, releasing a large flood downstream. Fifth, narrow valleys funnel the floodwaters towards settlements and villages along the river.

  2. US pledges $3.6m in aid

    The US will be providing $3.6m (£2.6m) in humanitarian assistance, including up to three months of emergency food assistance to 10,000 households affected by the floods, the State Department says.

    “There is no higher priority for us than the safety of American citizens,” states a post from the department on X.

    “Our embassies in Nepal and China are working closely to assist Americans and support disaster relief efforts.”

  3. Watch: Why is China censoring footage of the floods?

    Our China correspondent Laura Bicker explains

  4. Rescuers battle adverse weather in effort to reach workers trapped in hydroelectric tunnels

    Workers in high vis and helmets use a large drill into a hard surface. They are in a valley where the ground is thick with mud and clouds hang in the airNepalese government

    An image shared by the Nepalese energy minister earlier on Saturday in a post providing updates on the rescue mission at the Trishuli-3 'A' hydropower site

    Throughout Saturday, Nepalese energy minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha provided updates on rescue efforts at hydroelectric facilities in the flood-hit area.

    At the Trishuli-3 'A' hydropower site rescuers have managed to drill a hole into one of the facility's cable tunnels.

    He says an initial inspection reveals no debris inside, but no communication has been established with anyone inside.

    The hope is that rescuers will be able to make a hole big enough for a person to enter, which may allow rescuers to access the site's main tunnel.

    In his most recent update, he says rescuers would try and work through the night, but that there is a risk their efforts could be impacted and even suspended "for some time as water flow is increasing due to continuous rain".

    Earlier in the day, he said rescue efforts were also continuing at another hydroelectic facility, Trishuli-3 'B'.

    Specialist teams from China and India have joined Nepalese rescuers for search and rescue efforts linked to a number of hydroelectric sites in the area.

  5. More than 250 foreign nationals rescued, Nepal Tourism Board says

    In its most recent update, the Nepal Tourism Board said that 261 foreign nationals have been rescued while 320 are unaccounted for.

    Officials have provided this breakdown showing how many people from each country have been rescued:

    • Belgium - 1
    • Bulgaria - 1
    • China - 40
    • Germany - 4
    • India - 167
    • Italy - 2
    • Malta - 4
    • Oman - 1
    • Portugal - 1
    • Russia - 2
    • Spain - 2
    • Switzerland - 2
    • Turkey -2
    • Ukraine - 8
    • US - 3
    • Unidentified - 21

  6. Rescue efforts enter fifth day on Nepal-Tibet border after flash floods

    The valley as seen from the air. The bloated river brown with mud flows past a settlement. The building and streets are coated in mudReuters

    Rescue efforts have entered their fifth day in Nepal and Tibet after flash flooding devestated a border area on Wednesday.

    The US Geological Survey and local officials believe the devestating flow of water, mud and debris was caused by a glacier collapsing.

    In Nepal, at least 675 people have died, according to the country's disaster response agency.

    It says more than 2,400 people are missing, and more than 18,700 rescuers have been deployed.

    In Tibet, the official death toll is seven, with 554 reported missing, according to Chinese state media.