Nepal floods: Death toll hits 903 as rescue operation enters sixth day

The death toll from flash floods in Nepal rose to 903 on Monday (31), with nearly 4,250 people still missing six days after a wall of mud and debris swept through the Nepal-Tibet border region.

Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said bodies had been recovered from all eight affected districts, including 272 in Chitwan, 207 in Nawalparasi East, 151 in Nawalparasi West and 62 in Gorkha.

A further 95 bodies were recovered from Nuwakot, 55 from Dhading, 37 from Tanahu and 24 from Rasuwa. The NDRRMA said 4,247 people remained missing, including 85 security personnel and 320 foreign nationals.

The disaster, which struck last Wednesday (26), is believed to have been triggered by the collapse of ice and rock near the Nepal-Tibet border.

Race to reach workers trapped in flooded tunnels

Rescuers were racing on Monday to reach dozens of hydropower workers believed trapped in flooded tunnels as search efforts entered a sixth day.

Three bodies were pulled from two tunnels, with routes inside found smothered in mud, though officials said more than 100 workers may still be alive underground. They are among 933 hydropower workers missing since the flood struck, according to the NDRRMA.

At the Upper Trishuli 3A site, rescue teams broke into the upper part of a mud-swamped tunnel and pumped in air before beginning to drill and excavate.

Nepal's prime minister, Balendra Shah, said in a Sunday night update: "When members of the team descended using ropes and called out to those inside, there was no response."

The Nepal Army said work was continuing to "clear water, mud, and sediment from inside the tunnel."

Specialised tunnel-rescue teams from India, China and South Korea were assisting Nepali mountain rescue experts.

A Chinese team searching around 300 metres into the Upper Trishuli-1 tunnel recovered one body, the Nepal Army said, while Indian teams working at the Chilime Hydro tunnel recovered two bodies before their route was blocked by mud roughly 100 metres in.

Armed Police Force spokesman Netra Bahadur Karki told AFP: "We are continuing to work for search, rescue and relief operations. Rescue teams have now reached most areas, by road or by helicopters. Our priority remains rescue and safety of the people."

The Nepal Electricity Authority said 11 hydropower stations and one solar plant, with a combined capacity of 431.1 megawatts, had been knocked offline, representing about 10 per cent of the country's installed generation capacity. A further 15 projects under construction were damaged.

Mourners cremate the body of deceased victim Ayush Khadka, after flash floods in Nepal's Chitwan district on August 31, 2026. Nepal was burying on August 31 some of the hundreds of bodies retrieved after a deadly, tsunami-like flood crashed through the Himalayan region, sweeping away villages and leaving thousands still missing.Getty Images

UK man awaits news of missing parents

As rescue operations continued, families were desperately awaiting news of loved ones missing in the disaster.

In London, 22-year-old Prajval Haldia has had no word from his parents, Kavitha and Pavan Haldia, since the floods struck.

The couple were among 16 members of the Sanatan Mandir and Community Centre in Coulsdon, south London, on an organised pilgrimage to Mount Kailash when the disaster hit.

Haldia said the family last knew his parents had left for the Gyirong border crossing and had reached at least the Nepalese side, with no contact since.

"We get a call every day from a foreign office, but they don't really have any news," he told AFP on Saturday.

Describing the moment he first tried to reach his parents after seeing media reports of the floods, he said: "Obviously the ringing tone didn't even come up. It was just straight to voicemail. Slowly, obviously the picture came together that they were supposed to be in the same area where like exactly where it hit."

Nepal's Tourism Board says 33 British nationals are among the hundreds of foreigners reported missing.

Haldia, an only child, said he had chosen to stay in the UK rather than travel to the region.

"I'm not a rescuer. I can't really contribute to that effort in any way," he said, adding: "I think the focus should obviously be on rescuing as many people as possible from this disaster."

He said the temple community had been "incredibly supportive" as he tries to "stay positive".

Infosys executive among those missing

In New Delhi, Infosys said on Friday (28) that Lax Gopisetty, chief executive of its subsidiary Infosys Public Services, was unreachable after travelling to the flood-affected region in a personal capacity.

The Bengaluru-headquartered IT company, whose public sector subsidiary focuses on the US and Canadian markets, said in a statement: "We can confirm that our colleague Lax Gopisetty, who was visiting the region in a personal capacity, is currently not reachable."

Infosys said it was working with relevant agencies to establish contact with him and remained in close communication with his family, adding: "We remain in close communication with the family and are providing all necessary support during this difficult time. Our thoughts are with Lax and all those affected by this tragedy."

Gopisetty previously served as Infosys's global vice president and head of its Business Applications and Digital Workspace Service, and held senior roles at Accenture, BearingPoint, IBM, PwC and HCL before joining the company.

Separately, India's ministry of external affairs said on Friday (28) that at least 320 Indian nationals remained missing and 400 more were stranded on the Chinese side of the border. It added that 153 stranded Indians had safely crossed into Nepal and 21 had already arrived back in New Delhi. (With inputs from agencies)