Nepal Floods: Death Toll Rises Amid Glacier Collapse Aftermath
Rescue operations enter fourth day as international aid arrives and search continues for nearly 2,500 unaccounted for individuals.
Sarah Connor
Floods in Nepal have claimed at least 626 lives following a devastating glacier collapse.
Ed Miliband confirmed the team's mission: to assist British nationals and their families during this incredibly difficult time.
Nine British nationals, part of a tour to Mount Kailash, are among those reported missing.
Rescue efforts face severe impediments from poor weather, with helicopter search-and-rescue missions grounded on Saturday due to worsening conditions.
Destroyed bridges and damaged roads further impede access; Nepal requested bailey bridges from India and China to restore vital transport links.
Authorities believe more more than 100 people remain trapped in a tunnel filled with thick mud at the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project.
The number of people unaccounted for in Nepal nearly doubled to 1,924, according to Nepali officials, with nearly 3,000 people reportedly still missing following the floods.
Across the border in Tibet, Chinese state media reported 554 people missing as search teams reached Gyirong Port, the border crossing on the Chinese side.
Dozens of Britons are among the missing, including beauty pageant winner Surabhi Sahu, 44, her businessman husband Santosh, 46, their son Spandan, 18, and daughter Syna, 13.
Monitoring data from the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources showed a new lake, formed by the glacier collapse, had dwindled in size by late Friday. Its water level fell by 10 metres between Thursday and Friday morning.
Kathmandu appealed for foreign technical assistance, though it insisted it did not need help with general search and rescue.
Nepal estimates initial reconstruction costs for damaged infrastructure could reach up to $5 billion.