Overview
- A massive ice‑and‑rock collapse high in the Himalayas on Aug. 26 sent a debris surge down the Bhotekoshi–Trishuli system that swept away villages, roads and hydropower sites and triggered the ongoing rescue operation.
- Rescuers entering their second week have pulled several people alive from mud‑filled homes and deep hydropower tunnels, and teams continue focused tunnel clearance where air pockets and rooms may shelter survivors.
- Official counts put the death toll at more than 1,350 and roughly 5,500 people still missing across Nepal and Tibet, numbers that include hundreds of hydropower workers and about 800 foreign nationals.
- Mortuaries have been overwhelmed, police have begun systematic DNA sampling from relatives, and more than 1,000 unidentified remains have been sampled and buried to allow future identification.
- Nepal has appealed for urgent international supplies and specialist help, the UN has launched a $50 million appeal, and Kathmandu has lodged a formal climate compensation request as officials plan long‑term reconstruction.