Rescue operations continued in Nepal on Tuesday, nearly two weeks after catastrophic flash floods and a glacier-related collapse devastated the Nepal-Tibet border region, leaving thousands dead or missing and causing extensive damage to hydropower infrastructure.

Search teams are concentrating on three major hydropower projects where workers may still be trapped inside tunnels, particularly the Chilime, Upper Trishuli 3A and Upper Trishuli 3B facilities. Rescue authorities say blocked tunnel entrances, deep mud, debris and difficult Himalayan terrain are making the operation exceptionally challenging.

According to the latest figures reported from Nepal, 1,356 people have died and nearly 5,000 remain missing. The disaster has also affected foreign nationals, while neighbouring Tibet has reported additional deaths and missing people. Reuters reported that the combined death toll in Nepal and Tibet had reached at least 1,399, with more than 5,400 people missing. 

Rescue Teams Search Seven Hydropower Projects

The search has expanded across several hydropower installations affected by the August 26 disaster.

Operations are continuing at Langtang, Chilime, Upper Trishuli-1, Melung Khola, Trishuli-3A and Trishuli-3B, among other affected facilities. The focus has increasingly shifted towards tunnels because workers may have taken shelter inside them as floodwaters and debris swept through the surrounding areas.

At Chilime, Nepali and Indian rescue personnel are working together to clear access routes and reach sections of the tunnel where workers are believed to be trapped.

Reuters reported that authorities estimate about 121 of roughly 900 people reported missing from hydropower projects could have been inside tunnels when the disaster struck. 

Six Workers Feared Trapped at Chilime

The Chilime Hydropower Project has emerged as one of the main priorities for rescuers.

According to the latest information cited in the source material, six workers are believed to remain trapped there. A 35-member Indian Army rescue team is assisting Nepalese authorities along with other specialist teams.

Rescuers have been advancing through a tunnel approximately 250 metres long. The operation has been slowed by mud, damaged infrastructure and difficult access.

Indian tunnel-rescue specialists have been working alongside Nepalese authorities since the disaster. Earlier operations involved creating temporary access routes so that heavy equipment could be moved closer to the affected sections. 

Survivors Found After Days Inside Tunnels

Recent rescues have provided some hope to families still waiting for information.

Two hydropower workers were rescued alive from the Upper Trishuli 3A tunnel after surviving for nine days inside a confined section of the underground network. Their rescue demonstrated that people may survive for extended periods in isolated sections of the tunnels if they have access to air and limited water or shelter. 

Rescuers have also recovered other survivors from affected areas in recent days, reinforcing the decision to continue searching the tunnels despite the increasingly difficult conditions. 

Roads, Bridges and Power Infrastructure Devastated

The flood has caused widespread destruction beyond the immediate loss of life.

The Associated Press reported that around 7,500 homes were destroyed, another 20,000 require rebuilding and at least 12 hydropower projects were damaged. Preliminary damage estimates have reached approximately $2.56 billion, placing an enormous financial burden on Nepal. 

Mountain roads and bridges have also been washed away or buried beneath debris, complicating the movement of rescue equipment and personnel.

The difficult terrain has forced rescue teams to combine heavy machinery, helicopters, specialist tunnel equipment and technical expertise to reach isolated locations.

India Assists Nepal in Rescue Operations

India has been providing specialised assistance to Nepal since the disaster.

Indian tunnel rescue teams have been deployed to the Chilime area, while Indian medical personnel have also supported humanitarian operations. Earlier, India's Ministry of External Affairs said 163 Indian nationals had been rescued in Nepal following the disaster. 

The Indian teams have faced particularly difficult conditions inside the tunnels, including muddy floors and restricted access. Special equipment and improvised techniques have been used to move deeper into blocked sections.

Nepal Seeks $20 Million in Climate Compensation

The disaster has also triggered a wider debate over climate change and the vulnerability of Himalayan nations.

Nepal has sought $20 million in climate compensation from the UN's loss-and-damage mechanism. Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has argued that Nepal contributes less than 0.1% of global greenhouse-gas emissions but faces disproportionately severe consequences from climate change.

Nepal's glaciers have also experienced substantial ice loss over recent decades. The government has linked the latest disaster to broader climate risks affecting the Himalayan region, although the precise contribution of climate change to individual extreme events remains a matter for scientific assessment.

Rescue Mission Continues Despite Difficult Conditions

For families of the missing, the search remains a race against time.

Authorities continue to prioritise tunnels where there is a possibility of survivors, while drones, heavy machinery, technical teams and specialist rescue personnel are being used to search damaged facilities.

The latest operation reflects the scale of the disaster: Nepal is simultaneously dealing with a mass search for missing people, damaged hydropower infrastructure, destroyed settlements and a massive reconstruction challenge.

For now, rescuers remain focused on the possibility that more people could still be found alive inside the tunnels.

India has delivered a sharp response to Pakistan at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), asserting that continued cross-border terrorism has fundamentally eroded the trust required for cooperation under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). New Delhi also firmly rejected Pakistan's remarks on Jammu and Kashmir, reiterating its long-standing position that the Union Territory is an inseparable part of India.

Speaking during the UNSC High-Level Open Debate on "Natural Resources Governance: the Foundation of Peace, Security and Prosperity", India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, accused Pakistan of misusing the international platform to promote what he described as a false narrative on bilateral issues.

Addressing the Indus Waters Treaty, the Indian envoy said the agreement was built on mutual trust and goodwill, conditions that, according to India, cannot exist while cross-border terrorism continues to be used as an instrument of state policy.

"Our position on the Indus Waters Treaty remains clear and consistent. Cooperation based on mutual trust and goodwill cannot be expected when cross-border terrorism is regularly deployed as an instrument of State policy," the ambassador said during the debate.

India also used the opportunity to reiterate its position on Jammu and Kashmir, dismissing Pakistan's claims over the region. Ambassador Parvathaneni stated that Jammu and Kashmir "has always been, is, and will remain an integral and inalienable part of India."

He further asserted that the only unresolved issue relating to Jammu and Kashmir concerns what India describes as Pakistan's illegal occupation of parts of Indian territory.

The diplomatic exchange comes months after India placed the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance following the April 22, 2025 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed. After the attack, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) announced that the six-decade-old treaty would remain suspended until Pakistan takes what India describes as credible and irreversible steps to end support for cross-border terrorism.

According to government sources, New Delhi believes the circumstances under which the treaty was signed in 1960 have changed significantly due to persistent security concerns, changing developmental priorities, population growth and climate-related challenges.

India has also accused Pakistan of bypassing the treaty's dispute resolution framework. Officials said the agreement provides for a sequential process beginning with bilateral discussions, followed by reference to a Neutral Expert and, only if necessary, a Court of Arbitration. However, India maintains that Pakistan directly approached the Court of Arbitration, making those proceedings unacceptable from New Delhi's perspective.

Government sources further alleged that Pakistan has repeatedly objected to Indian hydropower projects on the eastern rivers despite those projects falling within India's rights under the treaty. At the same time, officials argued that Pakistan has not adequately developed its own water storage and river management infrastructure.

Officials also disclosed that India formally approached Pakistan in 2023 seeking discussions on modernising the treaty to reflect present-day realities, including advances in engineering, climate change, increasing water demand and population growth. According to the government, those proposals did not lead to meaningful progress.

Meanwhile, India is preparing to accelerate several strategic hydropower projects in the Chenab river basin to utilise the water resources allocated to it under the treaty framework. Key projects include the 1,856 MW Sawalkote Hydroelectric Project, 1,000 MW Pakal Dul Project, 850 MW Ratle Project, 624 MW Kiru Project, and the 540 MW Kwar Project.

The government also plans to undertake sediment flushing and reservoir management at the Salal and Baglihar hydroelectric projects to improve storage capacity, enhance operational efficiency and strengthen dam safety.

India's latest remarks at the United Nations underline the widening diplomatic divide between New Delhi and Islamabad over terrorism, water-sharing arrangements and Jammu and Kashmir. With the Indus Waters Treaty remaining in abeyance, future engagement on the agreement is expected to depend on broader political and security developments between the two neighbouring countries.