Rain, rising rivers hamper Nepal tunnel rescue as missing toll tops 3,000

KATHMANDU, Nepal: Nepal warned Sunday (Aug 30) of rising flood waters and urged rescue teams to exercise caution, as efforts to retrieve victims from areas devastated by a deadly, tsunami-like wall of water and debris entered a fifth day.



"We have received information that the flood flow in the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa has increased further," the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA )said in a warning issued at 7.20 am (1.35am GMT).



"Therefore, all personnel engaged in search, rescue, and relief operations, those in riverside areas, and everyone else in affected areas including Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, and Chitwan are requested to exercise caution."



The US Geological Survey said the disaster on Wednesday morning on the China-Nepal border was caused by a glacial collapse, sending a wall of water and debris downstream.



Figures from Nepal and China put the total death toll at 750, with 3,044 people missing. Some of the dead were possibly swept downstream as far away as India.