Nepal-Tibet flood toll rises to 165 as nearly 1,500 remain missing

The death toll from catastrophic floods along the Nepal-China border has risen to at least 165, while nearly 1,500 people remain missing across Nepal and China's Tibet, authorities said on Thursday.

Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said 165 bodies had been recovered from flood-affected areas, with identification still under way. The agency said 85 emergency service personnel were also currently uncontactable.

Nepali police had earlier put the death toll at 162, highlighting the rapidly changing figures as rescue teams continue to recover bodies from the disaster zone.

Nearly 1,500 people remain missing

The latest figures from Reuters indicate that almost 800 of the missing are foreigners, while authorities on both sides of the border continue efforts to establish the whereabouts of tourists, workers and local residents.

The floods were triggered by a massive ice-and-rock avalanche in the Himalayas that sent a huge surge of water and debris down river valleys, destroying villages, roads, bridges and hydropower infrastructure.

Rescue operations remain difficult, with damaged roads and bridges, severed communications, heavy sediment and swollen rivers hampering access to affected areas.

Scientists probe what triggered the Himalayan collapse

Scientists are still investigating what caused the initial glacier and rock collapse. Possible factors include seismic activity, rainfall, melting ice and warming temperatures, although no single trigger has yet been conclusively established.

The disaster has affected both sides of the Nepal-China border, with China's Tibet region also reporting deaths and hundreds of people missing.