Death toll from mudslides and flooding at Nepal-China border reaches 676, nearly 3,000 missing

<p>The death toll from the floods and mudslides along the Nepal-China border has risen to at least 676 people, as rescue operations are hindered by poor weather conditions.</p><p>According to updates from Nepali authorities on Saturday, the combined toll in Nepal and Tibet has reached 676 dead and nearly 3,000 people missing, as reported by The Associated Press. Chinese authorities have reported seven deaths and more than 550 missing, while Nepal’s disaster agency indicated that the death toll had climbed to 669 with 2,426 people missing.</p><p>Experts believe that the mudslides and flash flooding that occurred on Wednesday across Nepal and China's Tibet region were caused by a large chunk of ice breaking off a glacier and falling into the Lhende Khola River. Rescue operations in the main disaster zone have been complicated by damaged roads and challenges in communication, with intermittent rain expected to continue through the weekend.</p><p>"Search and rescue operations have been temporarily halted because it is raining, and the weather is foggy," said Narendra Pariyar, a top official for Nepal's Rasuwa district, in a statement to Reuters.</p><p>Nepalese authorities have indicated that they do not require additional personnel from other countries for general search and rescue efforts; however, they have requested that China send tunnel experts, as up to 100 individuals remain trapped in a mud-filled hydropower plant tunnel.</p><p>"We have already made requests for such specialized services and technical assistance in areas where we don't have enough expertise and technical know-how," stated Nepal's Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal to Reuters.</p><p>China has dispatched five workers from Tibet by helicopter to assist, according to the state-affiliated Xinhua news agency.</p><p>Although the forecast for rainstorms may complicate rescue operations, officials noted that a previous threat from a lake that had formed on the border between Nepal and Tibet has significantly decreased.</p><p>The lake had been overflowing into the Lhende Khola River, posing a risk of further flooding, but that risk had diminished by Saturday, according to Chinese officials.</p><p>Nepal's finance minister Swarnim Wagle estimated that the country will require over $4 billion to rebuild following the disaster. "This is just an estimate. Loss and damage is being assessed," he told Reuters.</p><p><i>Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.</i></p>