Helicopter flights grounded by bad weather
Flash floods and landslides in Nepal's mountain valleys have killed at least 800 people, and around 3,000 more are still missing, officials say. Rescue teams are moving through villages where roads, bridges and footpaths were swept away. Poor weather has grounded many helicopter flights, slowing the search.
Officials say the water followed heavy rain and the failure of a glacial lake high in the mountains. It moved quickly down narrow gorges, leaving some communities little time to get out. Local leaders describe whole rows of houses gone and farmland buried under mud and stone.
Minister links disaster to warming
Nepal's foreign minister, Shisir Khanal, said the flooding was tied to rising temperatures and called for a stronger global response to climate change. Scientists have warned for years that melting Himalayan glaciers are making such floods more likely, because lakes formed by meltwater can burst without warning.
Relief camps have opened in district centres. Aid groups say supplies are arriving slowly because many roads are still blocked by debris. Some families walked for days over mountain paths to reach help, carrying children and whatever they could save.
Forecasters say more rain is expected in the coming days, which could hamper recovery work and raise the risk of further landslides on slopes left bare. Health workers are watching for outbreaks of waterborne disease in camps where families share tight space, and they have asked for more water treatment tablets and tents.
Neighbours send equipment and teams
India, China and several international agencies have offered equipment, medical teams and funds. Workers are using excavators where ground conditions allow, while volunteers clear mud by hand. Medics say clean water and shelter are the most urgent needs, with fever cases already reported in crowded camps.
Nepal's government says rebuilding roads and bridges will take months. Officials warn the death toll could rise further as teams reach valleys that remain cut off, and they have asked for long-term help with early warning systems for glacial lakes.