Searches continue for thousands missing as death toll tops 690 after Nepal flood

Rescue workers in the Devighat area of Nuwakot district, Nepal (Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP) AP Press Association Reporters 3 minutes ago Searches are continuing for thousands missing amid the devastating flash flood in Nepal which has left more than 690 dead.

An update from Nepali and Chinese authorities on Saturday brought the death toll in Nepal and Tibet to 691 with more than 3,000 people missing.

The latest figures from Chinese state media reported 16 people were dead and 546 people were missing in Tibet, with Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) saying the death toll had reached 675 with almost 2,500 missing.

Nepalese authorities said among those unaccounted for are more than 30 British nationals, while Chinese state media on Sunday said 15 people from Britain were among 261 missing foreigners. It is unclear how many are included in the Nepal figures.

The NDRRMA warned of rising water levels in the Bhote Koshi River in the Rasuwa region on Sunday.

On Saturday, a rapid deployment team from the UK arrived in Nepal to provide support for Britons and their families.

The team, comprising specially trained crisis response staff, will work alongside the British embassy and local authorities.

They will help co-ordinate assistance for British nationals arriving at and departing from the airport, support those seeking information about missing relatives, liaise with local authorities and emergency responders, and reinforce existing consular operations on the ground.

Forming part of the UK’s wider response to the flooding, which includes £5 million of humanitarian support for relief and recovery efforts, the team will also work with families in the UK concerned about loved ones in the affected area.

The US State Department pledged 3.6 million dollars (£2.6million) in a statement on X on Saturday.

A damaged house stands amid debris of flash flooding in Nuwakot district in Nepal on Saturday (Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP) AP Two teenagers, a 13-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy, are among the 33 British nationals believed to be unaccounted for.

Others with links to the UK who are missing include an NHS nurse, a Hindu priest from south London who was leading a tour in the region and an 18-year-old from Surrey who had recently finished his A-Levels.

Rescue efforts had previously been hampered by fears of more flooding from a lake formed by the glacier collapse which sparked the flooding on Wednesday.

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