Thousands missing, aid needs mount one month after Nepal's deadly floods

The tsunami-like flood that cut a swathe of destruction through Nepal on August 26 has left the Himalayan nation grappling with heavy losses and mounting reconstruction needs.

One month on, AFP looks at the scale of the disaster triggered by a high-altitude glacial mountain collapse on the China-Nepal border, which scientists have linked to climate change.

‘Bullet train’ of debris

On August 26, a mass of ice and rock broke away from the north face of Nepal’s Langtang Lirung mountain, sending a huge mass of debris racing down the valley.

The collapse began at an altitude of about 5,200 metres (17,060 feet) with a section more than a kilometre (0.6 miles) wide and extending roughly 700 metres vertically.

That mass of rock and ice plunged about 800 metres onto a debris-covered glacier, before surging downhill, briefly damming the Lhende River. Water and debris then burst downstream.

With morgues overwhelmed, many bodies have been buried in mass graves after their DNA was recorded.

So far, only about 100 bodies have been identified.

On the Chinese side, where apocalyptic images showed a border post obliterated, state media have reported 43 deaths and 519 people missing.

Rescue operations

Hundreds of rescuers, many deployed by helicopter, have spent weeks digging through mud and debris in search of survivors.

There have been rare breakthroughs. In Nepal, three workers – two Nepalis and a Chinese man – were rescued alive from tunnels under construction where they had been trapped.

The floods have cut Nepal’s hydropower generation capacity as well as total electricity generation capacity by 10 per cent, with the energy sector accounting for half of the total infrastructure damage from the disaster.

Nepal’s economy is already under pressure, with limited resources to respond to a disaster of this scale.

The World Bank estimates 82pc of Nepal’s workforce is in informal employment, with GDP per capita at $1,447 in 2024.

Climate change

From the first hours after the disaster, experts pointed to climate change as a contributing factor.

Scientists from the World Weather Attribution group said the disaster was not caused by a single extreme weather event, but a “compound crisis” shaped by long-term warming, glacier retreat, permafrost thaw and geological instability.

“There is no doubt that climate change is one of the drivers,” said Friederike Otto, a professor of climate science at Imperial College London.

Nepal’s leaders say the country needs long-term international support to adapt to a rapidly changing mountain environment.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah has urged the world to recognise the dangers of climate change and act quickly.