Nepal flash floods LIVE updates: Risk of lake 'burst' near border disaster site wanes, China says; death toll crosses 620 - The Hindu

**Flash Floods Ravage Nepal’s Eastern Hills – Death Toll Tops 620, Lake‑Burst Threat Subsides**

Heavy monsoon rains and rapid snow‑melt have unleashed a series of flash floods across Nepal’s eastern and central districts, leaving more than 620 people dead and thousands missing as rescue teams enter a fourth day of search‑and‑rescue operations. The worst‑hit areas include the Koshi, Sankhuwasabha and Terhathum districts, where swollen rivers breached embankments, sweeping away homes, bridges and farmlands. Satellite imagery released by the Nepalese government shows extensive waterlogged terrain, while the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that over 1.2 million people have been displaced, with many still stranded in remote mountain villages.

A parallel danger – the potential breach of a glacial lake perched near the Nepal‑China border – appears to have receded, according to Chinese authorities. In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, the China Meteorological Administration reported that the water level of the lake, situated in the high Himalayas of the Makalu region, has dropped by roughly 15 % over the past 48 hours, reducing the immediate risk of a catastrophic outburst flood. Nepal’s Ministry of Science and Technology confirmed that continuous monitoring with drone‑based lidar surveys corroborates the Chinese data, and that the lake’s moraine dam remains stable for now. Nonetheless, both governments have pledged to maintain a 24‑hour watch and to share real‑time hydrological data to avert any future surge.

The humanitarian response has escalated on both sides of the border. India’s Union Minister for Labour and Employment, Bhupender Singh Kharge, urged the central government to dispatch emergency relief kits, medical teams and temporary shelters for the hundreds of Indian nationals stranded in the disaster zone. Meanwhile, the World Bank and Asian Development Bank have begun preliminary assessments for a reconstruction package that could amount to nearly 10 % of Nepal’s annual GDP, as reported by *The Times of India*. Local NGOs, backed by UN agencies, are focusing on restoring basic services—clean water, sanitation and electricity—while the Nepalese army continues aerial drops of food and medicine into isolated hamlets. The coming weeks will test the resilience of Nepal’s disaster‑response framework and the solidarity of its regional partners.