LIVE | Toll crosses 500; over 300 Indians still missing

Deluge threat looms over Bihar as several rivers swell

India moves to evacuate 400 citizens stranded in China

Around 400 Indian citizens stranded on the Chinese side after landslides disrupted routes following the deadly Nepal floods are safe, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday. The Indian Embassy in Beijing is arranging their return to India.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the embassy was in contact with the stranded citizens, travel agents and group leaders.

"I would also like to inform you that on the Chinese side there are about 400 Indian citizens with whom we have been able to establish contact. All of them are safe and have spoken to their family members, as telephone facilities are available there," Jaiswal said as quoted by ANI.

Road connectivity has been affected by landslides.

"Currently, our embassy is making arrangements for these 400 people to be safely evacuated from there," he added.

India has sent two consignments of humanitarian aid to Nepal, with a third flight carrying 12 to 13 tonnes scheduled for Friday.

Nepal has recovered 538 bodies, while 977 people remain missing after Wednesday's Bhotekoshi River flash flood.

China says Nepal glacier collapse triggered flood disaster

China has attributed the disaster affecting Nepal and China’s Kerung area to the collapse of a glacier in a high-altitude part of Nepal.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian made the statement at a press conference on Friday while responding to questions about the floods in the two countries, reported India Today.

Lin said experts and relevant government institutions from China and Nepal had carried out a preliminary assessment of what caused the disaster. Their initial findings, he said, pointed to a glacier collapse in a high-altitude area of Nepal.

The explanation has faced criticism in Nepal, where questions have been raised over whether China provided sufficient warning before the flooding. Some in Nepal have alleged that the lack of timely information from the Chinese side contributed to the extent of the damage.

The issue has added to public anger as Nepal continues to deal with the aftermath of the disaster.

Nepal flood death toll reaches 547 as rescue operations resume: Report

The death toll from Wednesday’s catastrophic glacier-collapse flood has reached 547 in Nepal, reported Reuters.

Rescue teams in Nepal and China resumed operations on Friday after a brief suspension in the flood-hit Himalayan region. Officials said the danger from an overflowing lake had eased to a manageable level, allowing search and recovery work to restart.

The flooding caused widespread devastation across the affected areas. Rescue crews had been forced to pause their work amid fears that rising water from the lake could trigger another wave of flooding and put responders at further risk.

With those concerns easing, teams returned to the affected areas on Friday to continue their efforts to locate missing people and deal with the aftermath of the disaster.

315 Indians in Nepal still uncontacted amid floods: Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said about 315 Indians in Nepal have yet to be contacted, although the figure is changing as authorities receive fresh information. So far, around 85 Indians have been rescued from various locations.

Twenty-one Indian pilgrims rescued by the Nepal Army have returned to India after the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu arranged their journey home. Jaishankar met the group at Delhi airport and spoke with them about what they had gone through.

India is also sending a specialist tunnelling team to Nepal amid concerns that people may be trapped inside a tunnel at a hydroelectric project hit by the floods.

New Delhi has offered Bailey bridges and a team to install them, while medical teams are also being considered. Jaishankar said National Disaster Response Force personnel would be sent if Nepal asks for them.

Two Indian aircraft carrying relief supplies have already reached Nepal, with a third flight scheduled to leave on Friday. Jaishankar said helping Nepal with rescue and relief work, while bringing stranded Indians home, remains India's "number one priority".

Seven bodies recovered in India after Nepal floods

Seven bodies from rivers in Uttar Pradesh that are believed to belong to people swept away by the devastating floods in Nepal, officials said on Friday.

Four of the bodies were found in Maharajganj district, which lies along the border with Nepal’s flood-hit Chitwan region.

"Four unidentified bodies were recovered in the district on Thursday," Maharajganj district magistrate Gaurav Singh Sogarwal told AFP.

"We think they have been swept into India from Nepal following flash floods there."

Police said three additional bodies were recovered in neighbouring Kushinagar district, about 70 kilometres (43 miles) downstream from the border.

The recoveries came in the aftermath of the floods extended beyond Nepal, with rivers carrying victims into adjoining areas of Uttar Pradesh.

Nepal flood risk persists until two lakes are fully drained: Officials

Nepal’s disaster management authorities have warned that the threat of flooding will persist until the two lakes created by the recent surge are completely drained, reported the Hindustan Times.

The warning follows Wednesday’s flash flood, which battered parts of the Himalayan region and left authorities on alert for another possible deluge as water levels in the lakes continue to rise.

Officials say the flood threat remains as long as the lakes retain water. The region is therefore facing the possibility of another flood while drainage efforts continue.

Red Cross says 93,000 need urgent aid after Nepal flash flood

More than 90,000 people are believed to have been directly affected by the Himalayan landslide and need urgent humanitarian aid, the Red Cross said on Friday, while officials warned that further flooding could worsen conditions.

"We believe that at least 93,000 people have been affected and are in great need," David Fisher, head of delegation for the International Federation ​of Red Cross and ​Red Crescent Societies in Nepal, told a Geneva press briefing, reported Reuters.

"We're of course very concerned about the secondary flood," he added.

Fisher said relief trucks carrying supplies were unable to pass after a landslide-created lake broke its banks, forcing rescue work to stop temporarily.

Kamal Kishore, Head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, warned of further "cascading hazards that might unfold".

"In a sense, the disaster is not yet completely over. It is still unfolding in some ways," he said.

WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said six health facilities were damaged and eight healthcare workers were missing.

Nepal flash flood death toll rises to 535

The death toll from the Bhotekoshi flash flood in Nepal’s Rasuwa district has climbed to 535, according to the latest figures released by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).

A total of 14,529 security personnel are involved in the search, rescue and relief response. Officials said 3,742 people have been brought to safety, among them 25 foreign nationals.

The Nepal Army, along with private aviation operators, has carried out 78 sorties to reach affected areas and assist with rescue operations.

The government has released cash aid for the affected districts. Relief supplies, including food and fuel, are also being sent to communities hit by the flooding.

Nepal Army deploys 1,200 more troops for flood search operations

The Nepali Army has sent an additional 1,200 personnel to flood-hit areas along the riverbanks from Rasuwa to Chitwan as search efforts intensify for people missing after Wednesday’s (August 26) devastating Bhote Koshi flood.

The deployment follows public complaints over delays in finding missing citizens and recovering bodies. The Prime Minister’s Office of Nepal said the Army had taken the concerns seriously and assigned special teams to speed up the work.

The newly deployed troops have been spread across possible search locations in the affected areas, as well as along the Trishuli and Narayani rivers, where floodwaters may have carried bodies downstream.

“Taking the complaints about the slow pace of body collection and search efforts seriously, the Army has deployed special teams and is actively collecting bodies at a rapid pace,” the PMO Nepal said.

The Army had earlier deployed 1,600 personnel for rescue, relief and temporary assistance to people affected by the flooding. With the latest deployment, 2,800 Nepali Army personnel are now engaged in rescue, relief and body recovery operations across the affected areas and downstream river zones.

“Despite the river's strong currents and challenging geographical conditions, the military teams are continuously advancing their efforts to locate and collect bodies,” the PMO Nepal said.

The latest deployment puts additional troops along a wide stretch of riverbank as authorities continue efforts to recover those swept downstream by the flood.