By The South Asia Times

KATHMANDU -  Devastating floods and landslides along the Nepal-China border have killed at least 1,372 people and left more than 5,500 missing, according to the latest figures released by authorities in the two countries, as rescue teams continue searching for survivors and providing emergency assistance to communities cut off by the disaster.

Nepal’s Prime Minister’s Office said 1,341 bodies had been recovered, while 4,996 people remained missing and 13,104 people had been rescued in the aftermath of the disaster.

On the Chinese side, authorities have reported 31 deaths and 531 people missing in the affected areas of Tibet, bringing the combined death toll in Nepal and China to at least 1,372 and the number of missing to 5,527.

The disaster struck on Aug. 26 after a massive surge of water, mud, rocks and debris swept through Himalayan valleys along the border. Nepal’s northern districts and China's Tibet Autonomous Region suffered extensive destruction, with homes, roads, bridges, hydropower facilities and border infrastructure damaged or washed away.

One of the worst-hit areas has been Nepal’s hydropower sector, where hundreds of workers were caught underground as floodwaters and debris entered tunnels. Rescue teams have been conducting dangerous searches inside collapsed and flooded tunnels in the hope of finding more survivors.

The discovery of people alive days after the disaster has encouraged rescuers to continue the search despite increasingly difficult conditions. Several workers have been pulled alive from hydropower tunnels after spending more than a week underground, demonstrating that some missing people may still have survived in protected spaces.

Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force personnel are leading rescue and recovery operations, assisted by specialist teams and equipment from several countries. Rescuers are using excavators, pumps, drones, radar and other equipment to clear debris, drain flooded tunnels and search collapsed structures.

On the Chinese side, rescue teams have been working around the devastated Gyirong border region, where enormous quantities of mud and rocks have buried roads and buildings. The Gyirong border crossing, an important land route connecting Nepal and China, was severely damaged, disrupting transportation and cross-border trade.

The disaster has also created a major humanitarian challenge. Thousands of residents, workers and travelers remain unaccounted for, while families continue waiting for information about relatives who disappeared when the floods struck.

Authorities are simultaneously carrying out relief operations, delivering food, drinking water, medicines and other essential supplies to affected communities. Efforts are also underway to restore damaged roads, bridges, electricity and communications links needed to reach isolated areas.

The identification of recovered bodies remains another major challenge. Forensic teams are working to establish the identities of victims and reunite remains with their families, while authorities continue updating lists of missing people.

The scale of the disaster has also disrupted tourism and travel in the Himalayan region, with foreign nationals among those reported missing on the Chinese side and travelers affected by the destruction of key routes.

Despite the enormous loss of life, rescuers say the discovery of survivors in collapsed tunnels has strengthened the determination to continue searching. Operations remain focused on hydropower facilities, debris fields and other locations where people could still be trapped.

With 5,527 people officially listed as missing across Nepal and China, search, rescue and relief operations are expected to continue as authorities assess the full human and economic cost of one of the most devastating disasters to hit the Himalayan border region in recent years.