Nepal flash floods LIVE: Death toll surges to 392; nearly 1,500 missing as fresh flood threat looms - The Hindu

**Nepal flash floods live: Death toll climbs to 392, nearly 1,500 still missing** *Kathmandu, Aug. 28 — The Hindu*

A massive flash‑flood triggered by the sudden collapse of an upstream glacier has devastated Nepal’s remote mountainous districts, raising the confirmed death toll to **392** while **approximately 1,500 people remain unaccounted for**, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA). The glacier, which broke away and plunged roughly **1.2 km** down a steep valley, released a torrent of water and sediment described by scientists as “**liquid concrete**.” The surge swept through villages along the **Dudh Koshi and Arun river basins**, flattening homes, destroying roads and cutting off communications in a region already prone to landslides and monsoon‑season flooding.

Rescue teams from the Nepalese Army, Armed Police Force and the International Red Cross are operating under “**severe weather and ongoing after‑shock risk**,” according to CNN reports. Over 3,000 soldiers and volunteers have been deployed, but the **treacherous terrain, continued rain and the threat of additional glacial lake outbursts** are hampering search‑and‑rescue efforts. Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, founder of the Isha Foundation whose volunteers are among those missing, described the event as a “**terrible, extraordinary**” calamity, urging the government to accelerate evacuation plans for communities living downstream of rapidly swelling glacial lakes. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has appealed for **$30 million** in emergency funds to support shelter, medical care and food distribution.

The disaster has heightened concerns about **glacier‑lake outburst floods (GLOFs)** across the Himalayas, especially as climate‑induced melting accelerates. Bloomberg notes that satellite data show **several lakes in Nepal and neighboring China expanding at unprecedented rates**, prompting new flood warnings from both nations’ disaster agencies. Kathmandu has announced a **three‑day national mourning** and pledged to fast‑track a comprehensive GLOF monitoring system, while China’s Ministry of Emergency Management has offered technical assistance and equipment for early‑warning sensors. International donors, including the United States, Japan and the European Union, have pledged additional humanitarian aid, but officials warn that **long‑term mitigation will require substantial investment in infrastructure, relocation programs and climate‑adaptation strategies**.