Nepal flood disaster: Death toll tops 1,280 as thousands remain missing

Rescue teams in Nepal are working around the clock to reach hundreds of workers believed to be trapped inside hydropower facilities more than a week after devastating flash floods swept through Himalayan communities.

The disaster was triggered by a massive surge of rocks, mud and water that scientists believe originated from a glacier collapse near the Langtang Lirung mountain peak. The flooding destroyed villages, roads and bridges across areas of Nepal and Tibet.

Authorities said Thursday that more than 1,280 people have been killed on both sides of the China-Nepal border, while more than 5,600 people remain missing. At least 550 foreign nationals are among those unaccounted for.

Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority says 1,252 bodies have been recovered so far.

Rescue operations are now focused on hydropower facilities near Nepal’s border with China, where hundreds of workers are feared trapped, including some inside tunnels.

Emergency crews continue searching the disaster zone as authorities assess the full extent of the destruction.