Death toll from Nepal-China floods rises to 472; 100 trapped in hydropower plant tunnel

The combined death toll from massive flooding in the Himalayan border region between Nepal and China has climbed to 472.

Nepal police said 469 people had died as of Friday from floods that struck the northern Bagmati Province on Wednesday.

Adding three deaths from landslides and related disasters in Gyirong County, Shigatse, in China's Tibet Autonomous Region brings the combined toll for both countries to 472.

The total stood at 362 as of Thursday, but more than 100 additional bodies were recovered in and around Bagmati Province on Friday. The overall missing persons count reached 1,535 — 977 in Nepal and 558 in Tibet.

Nepal's military said Friday it was attempting to rescue about 100 people trapped inside a flooded tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower plant.

Nepal Army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet said two helicopters had been deployed but that even locating the tunnel entrance had proved difficult.

Nepal's prime minister's office issued a statement saying authorities had successfully rescued about 350 workers and local residents trapped in the tunnel despite dangerous conditions caused by severe weather. It added that efforts were continuing to evacuate the roughly 100 people still inside.

Nepal police said 1,545 people had been rescued from flood-affected areas as of Friday morning.