Nepal held a national day of mourning on Monday for the victims of the devastating glacial floods, as families of the missing hydropower workers, feared trapped in tunnels, prayed that rescuers might yet find them alive. The August 26 glacial and mountain collapse on the China-Nepal border killed at least 1,398 people, with more than 5,500 missing, including around 800 foreigners. The disaster has left entire communities swept away, with roads destroyed and homes demolished. The nation observed the 13th day after death, following Hindu mourning rituals, with flags flying at half-mast and candlelight vigils planned for the evening.
Hundreds of hydropower workers are among the missing, but the rescue of three workers from deep inside tunnels—two Nepalis on Friday and a Chinese man on Saturday—has buoyed hopes that more could still be alive. Nepal Army spokesman Raja Ram Basnet assured that rescue efforts were continuing at the same tempo to ensure that no one is still stranded. However, families of some of the missing workers who gathered in the capital Kathmandu expressed frustration, demanding faster action from the government.
Reena Amatya Shrestha, whose brother is among the missing, voiced the sentiments of many families: "We have a lot of hope. They say they are doing rescue. If the rescue is there, where's the result? We need the result." Australian tunnel rescue expert Arnold Dix, advising Nepali teams, described the operation as an unprecedented challenge, with multiple potential rescues unfolding simultaneously in different places.
Foreign experts from China, India, and South Korea are aiding Nepali teams in the rescue efforts. Drone pilot Adarsha Raj Bhusal recounted the harrowing conditions he faced while attempting a rescue in the flood-ravaged Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower tunnel in Rasuwa district. Nepal President Ram Chandra Paudel visited relief camps in Nuwakot district, speaking to those left homeless by the disaster.
With mortuaries overflowing, Nepal has buried hundreds of bodies in mass graves after taking DNA samples for future identification. Despite the overwhelming loss, there have been remarkable tales of survival, such as Chandika Shrestha, a 64-year-old Nepali woman pulled out alive from her mud-covered home in Bidur. While the exact cause of the glacial collapse is unclear, climate change is accelerating glacial melting worldwide, increasing the risk of such disasters.
Nepal, a largely rural nation of 30 million people that has contributed little to the greenhouse gas emissions driving global warming, faces reconstruction costs that could reach billions of dollars. Its economy is already under pressure, with limited resources to respond to a disaster of this scale. A UN preliminary assessment estimated building damage from Nepal's floods at $158 million alone, warning that total losses—including damage to roads and bridges, agricultural land, and humanitarian costs—would be far higher.
