More than 600 killed in devastating Nepal floods

More than 600 people have died after a catastrophic flood struck Nepal on Wednesday, officials say. The latest figures show 626 confirmed dead in Nepal and 2,426 people listed as missing, as rescue teams continue work into a fourth day.

Nepal's Disaster Management Agency reported that at least 2,426 people are missing and that search-and-rescue crews are still reaching isolated areas. Teams warned that ongoing rain is hampering access to the hardest-hit zones and slowing operations.

Families of the missing—including at least 517 foreign nationals—remain without news of relatives. Bridges and roads were destroyed in the disaster, while helicopters have been used continuously to evacuate survivors and deliver aid to cut-off communities.

A 97-year-old woman was pulled from the rubble of a nursing home; her great-grandson told the BBC she looked like "a warrior." Helicopters and ground teams have focused on extracting people from collapsed buildings and transporting the injured to hospitals.

Why the toll keeps changing

Official death and missing counts often differ among agencies because of variations in how data are collected and verified, damaged communications, and the difficulty of reaching remote areas. As more rescue teams arrive and conditions improve, numbers can change substantially over the following days.

The disaster also affected neighbouring Tibet, where Chinese state media report additional fatalities and hundreds more missing. Independent verification from the region is limited, and reports from Tibet rely primarily on state-run outlets.

Authorities have warned of further flood risk after a lake formed high in the Himalayas following a glacier landslide that triggered the initial catastrophe. The presence of that newly formed lake raises concern about possible new outburst floods if it were to breach.

Photo: press material from the event