KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Rescuers were racing to find hundreds of people still missing two days after a catastrophic flash flood hit the Himalayan border between Nepal and China, as the death toll rose Friday and authorities warned that an overflowing lake formed after the disaster could trigger more flooding. Nepal police said on Friday morning that the death toll in the country had risen to 469 from 390 the previous day, while China had not updated its report of just three deaths in Tibet. Together, the two countries have said that more than 1,500 people are missing. Nepalese and Chinese authorities warned of further flooding due to a lake that formed upstream after Wednesday’s disaster and was already overflowing. They urged people in potentially affected areas to move to safer ground. China’s Ministry of Water Resources said Thursday that the lake contained about 2 million cubic meters (70 million cubic feet) of water and was expected to receive another 3 million cubic meters (106 million cubic feet) over the next three days. An elderly survivor is taken to a makeshift hospital for treatment at the army’s Maithali barracks after being rescued from a flash flood in Nuwakot district, Nepal, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) An elderly survivor is taken to a makeshift hospital for treatment at the army’s Maithali barracks after being rescued from a flash flood in Nuwakot district, Nepal, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. Nepal on Thursday, August 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Read more Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported Friday morning that the lake barrier was more than 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the port of Gyirong, the border crossing with Nepal that became engulfed by mud and flooding. CCTV said the lake was at an elevation of 2,950 meters (9,680 feet), about 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) above Gyirong Port. The Nepal Army said a team has been sent to the border point to inspect the Bhotekoshi River amid the possibility of more flooding. Thousands of people have been evacuated. A surviving Chinese national receives treatment at the army’s Maithali barracks after being rescued from a flash flood in Nuwakot district, Nepal, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) A surviving Chinese national receives treatment at the army’s Maithali barracks after being rescued from a flash flood in Nuwakot district, Nepal, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Read more Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said on Friday that 3,253 people had been airlifted from the country’s disaster zone. Flood survivors, including the injured, were shifted to Kathmandu and other places. Among the missing were foreigners from various countries, many of them hikers and pilgrims. Nepalese Army Spokesman, Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet told The Associated Press that a team had been deployed to the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project, near the Nepal-China border, on Friday following reports that people were trapped inside a tunnel. “It’s difficult to find the entry and exit points of the tunnel because everything is covered in mud,” Basnet said. “Our first priority is to rescue stranded people.” Videos of the disaster showed floodwaters destroying buildings, bridges and vehicles as people ran in front of the multi-story torrent. The broken concrete was then dumped into expanses of brown mud that also covered buildings and buried streets. Families around the world hear news of missing loved ones Rajan Tamang, a restaurant owner in New York City, said he learned from relatives in Kathmandu that his mother and sister were among those who died, while many other relatives and friends remained missing. “My family was just waking up and they didn’t even get any information, and suddenly this flood came. Some of them are missing, some of them lost their lives and only a few are alive,” he told The Associated Press after a vigil in New York. Subscribe to Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the day’s biggest headlines. US President Donald Trump said the flooding was terrible to see and described how “strong, well-built buildings were swept away like toothpicks.” Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said the United States spoke to Nepalese leaders and offered to provide them with “anything they wanted.” Scientists who have studied satellite images said the bedrock beneath a glacier high in the Himalayan region had collapsed, taking part of the glacier with it. Rocks and meltwater caused rivers to swell in the valleys below, causing a torrent of water that swept away buildings, bridges and land downstream.____Associated Press reporters Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Upendra Mansingh in Nuwakot district, Nepal; Aijaz Hussain in Srinagar, India; Rod McGuirk in Melbourne, Australia; Ali Swenson and Edith Lederer in New York; Matthew Lee, Collin Binkley and Fu Ting in Washington, and Hannah Schoenbaum in Utah contributed to this report.
