Death Toll Rises and Thousands Remain Missing After Glacial Collapse in Nepal and China
29 sources across 20 countries · 3 of them are linked to a state
Who reported this
- Scroll.in
- The Hindu
- The Indian Express
- Hindustan Times
- G1
- CNN Brasil
- Le Monde
- France 24
- Der Spiegel
- Sueddeutsche Zeitung
- ANSA
- Corriere della Sera
- The Guardian
- Reuters
- CNN
- Associated Press
- The Daily Star
- La Tercera
- South China Morning Post
- Telex
- The Times of Israel
- The Japan Times
- Premium Times
- Aftenposten
- Rappler
- Al Jazeera
- The Straits Times
- Yonhap
- Taipei Times
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.
Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.
The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.
A catastrophic glacial collapse on the border of Nepal and China has left at least 797 people dead and more than 3,000 missing. The disaster occurred on Wednesday when a wall of ice, rock, and mud surged through Himalayan valleys, obliterating entire settlements. Nepal has reported 781 deaths and 2,502 missing, while Chinese state media reported 16 deaths and 546 missing in Tibet. Some reports indicate the death toll in Nepal has since risen to 903.
Rescue operations are currently focused on several hydropower projects where approximately 933 workers are believed to be trapped. At the Trishuli 3A site, rescue teams from Nepal, India, and China have attempted to establish contact with those inside tunnels, though some reports state no response has been received. In a separate development, the Nepali army reported rescuing 350 people from a tunnel at the Upper Trishuli plant. Other rescue efforts include the recovery of 149 Indian citizens, while hundreds of others were reported safe in China.
Due to overwhelmed morgues and the rapid decomposition of bodies, Nepali authorities have begun mass burials of unidentified victims. To allow for future identification, officials are taking DNA samples and documenting the location of each grave. An Indian forensic team is assisting in these efforts. Meanwhile, the Nepali Foreign Minister estimated that reconstruction costs could reach several billion dollars.
Diplomatic tensions have emerged regarding early warning systems. Reports indicate that Nepal requested more detailed data on glacier movements and water levels from China during a meeting in May. While Nepali officials expressed concern that insufficient data sharing hampered preparedness, the Chinese embassy stated that information was shared in a timely manner and cited the challenges of monitoring remote Himalayan regions.
Human interest stories have emerged from the disaster, including a school principal in Trishuli Baraar who is being hailed as a hero for evacuating 900 students minutes before the flood hit. However, the region remains precarious, with authorities warning of potential fresh flooding due to continuous rainfall.
How each side framed it
- Left
- This outlet focused on the rescue of foreign nationals and the specific technical causes of the glacial surge.
- Centre-left
- These outlets emphasized the human tragedy, the heroism of local rescuers, and the environmental causes linked to global warming.
- Centre
- These outlets focused on the logistical details of the disaster and the diplomatic friction between Nepal and China regarding early warning data.
- Centre-right
- These outlets highlighted the scale of the casualties, the need for international aid, and the specific challenges of the recovery process.
Sources
- Centre ANSA: He evacuates students before the flood in Nepal, a principal saves 900 pupils
- Centre-right Aftenposten: 933 hydropower workers missing after flood disaster in Nepal
- Centre-left Al Jazeera: People return to their flood-ravaged homes in Nepal
- Centre Associated Press: In one Nepal district, flood catastrophe is measured in bodies and burial trenches - AP News
- Centre-left CNN: Rescuers rappel into Nepal hydropower tunnels in scramble to find flood survivors
- Centre CNN Brasil: Highway area hit by floods in Nepal has access restored
- Centre-right Corriere della Sera: Nepal, the army saves workers trapped in the tunnel of a hydroelectric plant after the flood
- Centre-left Der Spiegel: Nepal and Tibet: Why so little is known about the flash flood from Tibet
- Centre-left Der Spiegel: Nepal: School principal likely saved hundreds of students from the flash flood
- Centre-left Der Spiegel: Nepal: many places still cut off after flood disaster in the Himalayas
- Centre France 24: After the devastating flood, Nepal has begun burying its dead
- Centre-left G1: ‘It would be impossible to escape’: how river took entire city in Nepal after mud avalanche
- Centre-right Hindustan Times: Retired Bengal couple returns from Nepal, recounts narrow escape
- Centre-right La Tercera: New balance for floods in Nepal: at least 797 dead and more than 3,000 missing
- Centre-left Le Monde: In Nepal, after the devastating flood, victims buried even before their identification
- Centre Premium Times: Nepal-China Flood: Over 800 people dead, 3,000 missing
- Centre-left Rappler: Before flood catastrophe, Nepal asked China for early warnings as risks mounted
- Centre Reuters: Before flood catastrophe, Nepal asked China for early warnings as risks mounted - Reuters
- Left Scroll.in: Nepal flood: 149 Indians rescued, 500 safe in China
- Centre-right South China Morning Post: Nepal floods: could foreign rescue teams have been brought in earlier?
- Centre-left Sueddeutsche Zeitung: Flood Disaster in Nepal: Principal Likely Saved Hundreds of Students at the Last Second
- Centre-left Taipei Times: Nepal-Tibet flood and preparing for more climate-linked disasters
- Centre Telex: Hundreds of Nepali workers may be trapped in a power plant tunnel system due to flash floods
- Centre The Daily Star: Nepal buries dead as rescuers seek thousands missing
- Centre The Daily Star: Before flood catastrophe, Nepal asked China for early warnings as risks mounted
- Centre-left The Guardian: Devastated by floods and overwhelmed by bodies, Nepalis weep for what remains of their homes
- Centre-left The Hindu: Nepal flash floods LIVE: At least 933 workers trapped in hydropower projects
- Centre The Indian Express: How one teacher saved 900 students from Nepal floods
- Centre The Indian Express: ‘I need their bodies for last rites’: Heartbreaking search for families after Nepal floods
- Centre The Indian Express: ‘Chances of survival look slim’: 67 from Maharashtra still untraceable after Nepal flash floods
- Centre The Indian Express: ‘Please, God, can we have less pain?’: Manisha Koirala on catastrophic Nepal floods
- Centre The Indian Express: Nepal Flash Flood LIVE News Updates: death toll rises to 903; races to rescue 933 feared trapped in hydropower tunnels
- Centre The Japan Times: Before flood catastrophe, Nepal asked China for early warnings as risks mounted
- Centre The Japan Times: Nepal races to find missing amid threats of further flooding
- Centre-right The Straits Times: Alex Yam calls out comments asking if 9 missing in Nepal-Tibet floods were ‘really Singaporean’
- Centre The Times of Israel: Nepal warns of possible fresh flooding as communities grapple with devastation
- Centre Yonhap: Gov't team begins ground search for 9 missing Koreans in Nepal floods
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