Nepal flash floods kill 1,000; thousands missing

More than 1,000 people are dead after catastrophic flash floods hit Nepal and China, with rescuers still searching for survivors. The disaster was triggered by a glacial collapse on the China-Nepal border, sending a massive wave of freezing water and debris through mountain valleys. At least 939 people have been confirmed dead, and nearly 4,500 remain missing, according to Nepalese officials. The floods struck hardest in Nepal’s Nuwakot district, where homes and buildings are now caked in mud or flattened entirely. The wave was caused by a sudden glacial lake outburst, a phenomenon where a glacier melts or breaks, releasing a huge volume of water in minutes. The water rushed downstream, sweeping away entire villages and infrastructure. Rescue teams are working through the rubble, searching for any sign of life. But the scale of destruction is immense, and officials warn that the final death toll could rise significantly. Kathmandu has said reconstruction costs could run into the billions of dollars. Roads, bridges, and power lines were destroyed, cutting off remote communities and slowing aid efforts. The floods also affected parts of China near the border, though the full extent of damage there is still being assessed. For now, the focus remains on finding the missing and providing shelter and food to thousands who lost everything. This is one of the deadliest natural disasters to hit the region in recent years, and experts say climate change is making glacial collapses more frequent and more dangerous.