The death toll from devastating floods near Nepal’s border with China has risen to 734, while 2,498 people remain missing as rescue operations enter their fifth day, according to the country’s disaster authority.
The latest figures, released on Sunday by Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, represent an increase in the number of missing people from the 2,426 recorded in the authority’s previous update on Saturday evening.
The missing persons include 589 foreigners, up from 517 previously listed as out of contact, as well as 933 workers employed on hydropower projects along the river that was overwhelmed by the floodwaters.
The disaster authority said rescue teams have so far rescued 8,186 people, including 227 foreigners.
Across the border in China, state media reported that 16 people had died in Tibet and 546 remained missing following Wednesday’s disaster.
Combined, the reported death toll in Nepal and Tibet has reached 750, while the number of missing people stands at 3,044.
The scale of the disaster has also extended into India, where authorities said seven bodies had been recovered from rivers flowing from Nepal. The bodies are believed to belong to victims of the floods but have not been included in the official death toll.
Rescue teams continue to search affected areas as the operation enters its fifth day, with hundreds of people still unaccounted for and thousands already rescued from the devastating floods.
