Efforts to reopen roads to landslide- and flood-hit area enter ‘critical stage’ as more than 4,700 remain missing and weather risks loom
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenMeredith ChenPublished: 2:05pm, 31 Aug 2026Rescuers from China and Nepal continued searching landslide- and flood-affected areas on Monday while efforts to reopen roads to the heart of the disaster-hit area at Gyirong Port entered a “critical stage”.The death toll in Nepal had risen to 903 as of 9am on Monday, with 4,247 people still missing, according to data released by the country’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Chinese authorities on Sunday said the death toll on their side of the border had risen to 16, with 546 people still missing as of 6pm on Saturday, CCTV reported.
The death toll after Wednesday’s massive surge of ice, floodwater and rocks is approaching 1,000 across both sides of the border and is expected to rise in the coming days as search and rescue operations continue.
Worsening weather and persistent and heavy rain could further complicate rescue operations and disrupt transport, with state media urging heightened vigilance against secondary hazards.
The China Meteorological Administration on Monday morning forecast more rain in Gyirong county over the next three days, warning it could complicate rescue operations and transport, and urged rescuers to stay on high alert.
