Nepal Flash Flood LIVE: Rebuilding Could Cost Up To $5 Billion As Death Toll Rises
Kathmandu: Nepal is facing a massive humanitarian and economic crisis after a devastating flash flood swept through the country’s northern border region, leaving hundreds dead, thousands missing and entire communities struggling to recover.
The disaster, believed to have been triggered by a glacier collapse in the Bhote Koshi River area of Rasuwa near the Tibet border, sent a sudden torrent of water, mud, rocks and debris downstream on Wednesday. Homes, roads, bridges and hydropower infrastructure were damaged or washed away.
The death toll in Nepal has now risen to 616, according to police figures, while nearly 2,500 people remain unaccounted for across Nepal and Tibet.
Reconstruction Could Cost Up To $5 Billion
The scale of destruction has raised concerns about the economic cost of rebuilding Nepal.
Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle said the country could require between $4 billion and $5 billion to rebuild infrastructure damaged by the floods. The estimate is still preliminary, with authorities continuing to assess the full extent of the destruction.
The rebuilding bill could amount to nearly 10% of Nepal’s economy, highlighting the enormous challenge facing the government. Key sectors including tourism, hydropower and transport have suffered significant disruption.
Thousands Still Missing
The number of missing people has continued to rise as authorities receive fresh reports from affected communities and begin reaching areas that were previously cut off.
Current reports put the combined number of people missing in Nepal and Tibet at around 2,478, although figures remain subject to verification. Nepal has reported around 1,924 missing people, while China has reported 554 missing in Tibet.
More than 500 foreign nationals are also believed to be among those missing in Nepal, according to earlier official updates.
Indians Among Those Missing
Indian nationals are among the foreign citizens whose whereabouts remain unknown.
Earlier figures from Nepal’s authorities showed a significant number of Indians missing following the disaster, many of them travellers and pilgrims using routes towards the Kailash Mansarovar region. The exact number has changed as authorities verify reports and account for people who have been rescued or located.
Nepal’s official foreign-national list released earlier this week had recorded 178 Indian nationals, of whom 11 had been found at that stage. The government has stressed that these figures are being updated as search and rescue operations continue.
Rescue Operations Continue
Thousands of police, military and rescue personnel have been deployed across the flood-hit areas. Teams are searching damaged settlements, roads and hydropower facilities for survivors and people still trapped or missing.
More than 3,700 people have been rescued in Nepal, while operations remain difficult because of damaged roads, thick mud, landslides and continuing risks in the mountainous terrain.
Authorities are also working to restore roads and bridges and reconnect communities that were cut off by the floodwaters.
A Disaster That Has Changed Lives Overnight
For families across the affected districts, the numbers tell only part of the story. Entire homes and livelihoods have disappeared, while families continue waiting for news of relatives who remain unaccounted for.
The disaster has also struck important pilgrimage and tourism routes, adding another layer of uncertainty for Nepal’s tourism-dependent economy.
With the search for survivors continuing and the full damage still being assessed, Nepal now faces two enormous challenges at once: finding those who are still missing and rebuilding what the floods destroyed.
News Source : Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
