KATHMANDU — Nepal has asked international partners for technical and financial assistance as rescue teams continue searching areas devastated by a glacier-triggered flood along the Nepal–China border.Authorities reported at least 669 deaths in Nepal and seven in Tibet. Nearly 3,000 people remained missing across the affected region, including approximately 540 foreign nationals. Search operations resumed after poor weather had temporarily interrupted aerial missions.Entire communities were buried under water, ice, rocks and mud. Roads, bridges and hydroelectric facilities were also destroyed or severely damaged. Nepal’s government estimates that reconstruction will require between $4 billion and $5 billion—an amount equal to almost 10% of the country’s economy.Officials are seeking specialists to help identify badly decomposed remains, restore damaged infrastructure and assess unstable mountain lakes. India and China have provided equipment, relief supplies and technical personnel.Why it matters: The disaster threatens Nepal’s tourism, hydropower production and public finances. It also underlines the increasing risks posed by melting glaciers and unstable Himalayan lakes.
