WorldPosted at: Sep 24 2026 9:05PM


Thousands remain missing and cost of damages mount one month after Nepal's cataclysmic flood

Kathmandu, Sep 24 (UNI) The tsunami-like flood that tore through Nepal on August 26 has left the Himalayan nation facing massive losses and mounting reconstruction needs.
Since a mass of ice and rock broke away from the north face of Nepal's Langtang Lirung mountain, resulting in the high-altitude glacial mountain collapse on the China-Nepal border, the swathe of destruction that followed is yet to be fully accounted for.
The collapse started at an altitude of about 5,200m (17,060 ft), involving a section more than 1m (0.6 miles) wide and extending around 700m high.
The mass plunged about 800 metres onto a debris-covered glacier before surging downhill and briefly damming the Lhende River. Water and debris then burst downstream with enormous force.
The debris travelled around 20 kilometres, dropping 1,700 metres at Rasuwagadhi in just seven minutes. According to Nepal's Disaster Authority, 1,451 people have died and 5,700 remain missing.
Among the missing are hundreds of workers from hydropower projects caught in the disaster, along with hundreds of foreign nationals, including tourists and pilgrims.
Identifying the victims through DNA has proved a major challenge for Nepali authorities. With morgues overwhelmed, many bodies have been buried in mass graves after their DNA was recorded.
So far, only around 100 bodies have been formally identified.
On the Chinese side of the border, where images showed a border post destroyed by the floods and debris, state media have reported 43 deaths and 519 people missing.
Hundreds of rescuers, many brought in by helicopter, have spent weeks digging through mud and debris in search of survivors and victims.
There have also been rare breakthroughs. In Nepal, three workers - two Nepalis and a Chinese national - were rescued alive from tunnels under construction after being trapped there by the disaster.
Rescue teams continue to recover bodies from vast stretches of thick grey mud as relief operations move forward.
The disaster has affected more than 80,000 people, according to reports, with thousands who lost their homes and belongings now living in emergency shelters.
The UN has launched an urgent appeal for nearly $50 million in emergency aid.
Several communities near the epicentre remain cut off, forcing the UN and Nepali government to rely on helicopters and cargo drones to deliver essential supplies.
Several countries have pledged financial support worth a few million dollars, but the contributions remain far below the scale of the losses.
Nepal estimates the reconstruction bill at $4.78 billion, including $57 million needed for short-term reconstruction and recovery over the next six months.
The floods have reduced Nepal's electricity generation capacity, largely dependent on hydropower, by 10%. The energy sector accounts for about half of the total infrastructure damage caused by the disaster.
Nepal's economy was already under pressure before the floods, leaving the government with limited resources to respond to a disaster of this scale.
The World Bank estimates that 82% of Nepal's workforce is employed informally, while GDP per capita stood at $1,447 in 2024.
From the first hours after the disaster, experts pointed to climate change as one of the contributing factors.
Scientists from World Weather Attribution said the disaster was not caused by a single extreme weather event but was part of a "compound crisis" shaped by long-term warming, glacier retreat, thawing permafrost and geological instability.
Nepal's leaders have called for sustained international support as the country adapts to a rapidly changing mountain environment.
The country's Prime Minister Balendra Shah has urged the international community to recognise the risks posed by climate change and respond quickly.
UNI ANV CDS
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