US pledges $3.6 million in aid as Nepal floods kill 682, leave nearly 3,000 missing

The US will provide $3.6 million in humanitarian aid to Nepal as the death toll from the catastrophic floods rises to 682, with nearly 3,000 people still missing.

“The United States is standing with the people of Nepal by providing more than $3.6 million worth of life-saving humanitarian assistance, including up to three months of emergency food assistance to up to 10,000 flood-affected households,” the State Department said in a post on X.

Rescue teams search for thousands

Rescuers in Nepal and China continued searching on Saturday for thousands of people still missing, days after a deadly, tsunami-like surge of water and debris swept through the Himalayan region, engulfing entire villages.

Figures from both countries put the number of missing at close to 3,000, while authorities have recovered 682 bodies. Some victims may have been swept downstream into India.

A breakthrough came late on Saturday when the Nepali army managed to insert a pipe into a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric site, where workers are believed to be trapped.

“We have already started sending air through the small opening, and we will now begin excavation work and send the rescue team inside,” Home Minister Sudan Gurung said in a statement.

More than 100 workers may still be alive and trapped inside tunnels, with rescue operations focused on the Trishuli 3A and 3B sites.

Glacial collapse blamed for deadly torrent

The US Geological Survey said a glacial collapse triggered Wednesday’s deadly torrent along the Nepal-Tibet border.

The precise cause of the collapse remains unclear, but climate change is causing glaciers to melt worldwide and increasing the risk of such disasters.

“The sudden glacial collapse and flash flood is a devastating reminder of how fragile these mountain environments can be”, UN climate chief Simon Steill said in a statement.

“We also know a warming climate, driven by humanity burning colossal amounts of coal, oil and gas, is making tragedies like this one, and so many others around the world, much more likely, frequent and severe, with vulnerable communities often hardest hit,” he added.

Survivors search for missing relatives

Survivors and families continue to face an agonising wait for news of missing relatives while confronting the destruction of their homes and communities.

“All the settlements near the river were swept away,” Buddhi Ram Dangol told AFP in Nepal’s Nuwakot district. “There is nothing left.”

At an army base in Bidur serving as a major rescue centre, relatives gathered around lists of rescued people displayed on a wall.

“I have come here looking for my son,” said Kalka Sharda, scanning the list in desperation. “He was a labourer at the hydropower plant, but I can’t find his name, and the authorities are not saying anything.”

The disaster authority has listed 933 hydropower workers among those missing in an area that is home to major energy infrastructure projects.

The missing also include 517 foreigners, among them trekkers and Hindu pilgrims travelling to Tibet’s sacred Mount Kailash.

The Isha Foundation, led by Indian guru Sadhguru, said in an Instagram post on Saturday that 80 members had travelled to the area as part of a group trip.

The group was in the Chinese border port of Gyirong, which the foundation said had been “completely washed away. At this time, there seems to be no encouraging indications of survivors at the immigration office area.”