Video: Powerful flash flood ravages Grand Canyon; 20 missing, 60 evacuated

The death toll from catastrophic flash floods and landslides in Nepal has risen to 903, according to Nepalese authorities, as large-scale rescue operations continue across flood-hit areas. The disaster has also left around 4,247 people missing, while 10,451 people have been rescued so far, the data showed. The floods and landslides, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche along the Tibet border, have left thousands of people missing or uncontactable, while nearly 20,000 security personnel and 14 military helicopters have been deployed for rescue and relief operations. The government of Andhra Pradesh said that, as of 7 am on Monday, an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 people remained missing or uncontactable, while more than 8,700 people had been evacuated by security forces. Several Indian nationals are also still untraceable following the floods and landslides. Authorities said between 149 and 180 Indians have been evacuated, while around 275 to 320 remain missing or uncontactable. Among those unaccounted for are 14 pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh, including seven from the state and seven non-resident Indians. Meanwhile, 20 Telugu pilgrims who survived the floods safely reached Kathmandu from Tibet. The Andhra Pradesh government said a group of 144 pilgrims arrived in Kathmandu from Saga County, Tibet, through the Kodari checkpoint at around 11 pm on Sunday. The group includes 20 Telugu pilgrims, including Sastry and three members of his family. They are scheduled to travel to Mumbai on Tuesday before proceeding to their respective homes. Authorities are maintaining continuous coordination with Nepalese counterparts to locate and rescue stranded Indians, particularly pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh. Rescue teams deployed across affected areas Around 20,000 security personnel and 14 military helicopters remain engaged in relief operations, while six specialised surgical teams have been deployed to provide emergency medical assistance. India's specialised tunnel-rescue teams and technical experts are also assisting with operations at the Trishuli-3A hydropower tunnel, where workers remain trapped. More than 25 miles of roads and 40 suspension bridges have reportedly been destroyed, according to the Andhra Pradesh government. Heavy rainfall, landslides and blocked valleys continue to hamper rescue efforts. Authorities are also monitoring a potentially dangerous temporary lake formed in Tibet following severe flooding, amid concerns over further risks to affected areas. The Andhra Pradesh government said it remains in constant contact with Nepalese authorities regarding the evacuation, identification and welfare of Indian nationals, particularly pilgrims from the state. Stranger ran past Nepal school screaming ‘run, water’. It saved 370 kids, teachers At Uttargaya Public School in Betrawati, an unidentified man sprinting past the school and shouting “The big flood is coming, run…” gave more than 370 pupils and their teachers the warning they desperately needed. Within minutes, children were scrambling towards the forested hill behind the campus as the surge cut across roads and normal escape routes. The school routine had barely begun on Wednesday. Hostel students were at breakfast when the cry rang through the compound. There had been no siren, automated message or official alert before the children began running. The warning that reached Uttargaya came from a stranger outside the compound, shouting loudly enough, and early enough for teachers to act. Older pupils from Grades 7 to 10 ran themselves; staff helped younger children through mud, carrying some in their arms when they could not keep up. “No one could have imagined a flood this massive was coming,” English teacher Somlal Dangol told TOI. “That’s why they didn't run far at first, and by the time they saw it, they could no longer escape along the main paths.” Grade 10 student Sujal Lama had finished his morning tuition and was heading towards the school's breakfast when the warning spread. He initially thought the river would not rise very high. “If I had gone to eat, the flood would have caught me,” Sujal told TOI on Sunday. He ran towards the forest, spent the night there and was given food by teachers once he had gathered enough courage, his teachers said 'bravado', to return towards the building. Class 8 student Rashmi Tamang recalled the struggle uphill. “We managed to climb up even though we were covered in mud, but many children couldn't even run,” she told TOI. For one family, a parent’s attempt to reach the school ended in tragedy. Nawaraj Tamang rushed towards Uttargaya after learning about the flood to find his Grade 10 son Ayush. Before leaving, he told his mother, Mungsi Tamang, “Aama, ma Ayush lai lina aaye” (Mother, I have come to get Ayush). Nawaraj was swept away before he could reach the school. Ayush escaped into the forest and survived. In the immediate aftermath, vice-principal Pawan Sharma and teachers were scattered with groups of children on higher ground, communications disrupted and school records inaccessible. “Relatives of students are calling continuously from inside the country and abroad, but I don’t even have the records of those children with me anymore,” Sharma told TOI. “We have managed to hand over about 25 to 30% directly to their parents, and we have been in touch with the parents of others.” The school was still trying to trace many pupils after the flood, with disrupted communications making it difficult to establish how many had reached their families. No confirmed figure for student deaths from Uttargaya Public School had been released. Nepal Teacher Received Flood Warning. What He Did Next Saved 1,643 Children A Nepal school principal’s quick action helped save 1,643 children after he received a warning that fast-rising floodwaters were heading towards the school in Nuwakot. Nepal is burying unidentified bodies, to identify them later. Here's why and how Nepal has begun burying unidentified flood victims after mortuaries and temporary holding centres ran out of space and the bodies began decomposing. Authorities are collecting DNA samples, photographs and other identifying evidence before burial, so families can still identify their loved ones later, The Kathmandu Post reported. Only 20 of the 768 bodies recovered had been identified by relatives by Saturday evening, as authorities raced to preserve evidence and find space for decomposing remains. The move comes as the death toll from the devastating flash floods reached 734 on Sunday, with bodies recovered across eight districts. Chitwan has recorded the highest number of deaths, with 259 bodies recovered, followed by Nawalparasi East with 184, Nawalparasi West with 82, Gorkha with 58, Nuwakot with 52, Dhading with 50, Tanahun with 36 and Rasuwa with 13. About 2,500 others remain missing. The disaster, triggered by a glacier collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border, sent torrents of water, mud, rock and debris down the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river systems on Wednesday. The floods swept away houses, roads, bridges and infrastructure projects. The deluge also sent bodies to as far as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. WHY ARE AUTHORITIES BURYING BODIES? In Chitwan, authorities had recovered over 200 bodies, but only four had been identified. The remaining bodies were being kept at hospitals and temporary holding centres as decomposition made visual identification increasingly difficult, according to The Kathmandu Post. Health experts warned that further decomposition and the foul odour from the remains could increase the risk of infections and outbreaks. Mortury capacity was also overwhelmed. Hospitals in Chitwan could accommodate only a small fraction of the bodies, forcing authorities to seek emergency burial sites. The Chitwan District Security Committee therefore decided to bury the unidentified and unclaimed bodies at an open site in Devghat, Bharatpur Metropolitan City, under Nepal's Unidentified and Unclaimed Bodies Management (First Amendment) Directive, 2026. Prime Minister Balendra Shah said only bodies that could not be identified would be managed by the government, while bodies identified by families would be handed over to relatives. HOW WILL VICTIMS BE IDENTIFIED LATER? Before burial, forensic teams will collect DNA samples and assign each body a permanent identification or reference number. Photographs, physical descriptions, clothing, jewellery, identity documents and other belongings will also be preserved under the same tracking number. Authorities will also maintain records of inquests, autopsies, DNA profiles, burial dates and the exact location of each grave. These records can later be matched with missing-person reports and DNA samples from relatives, The Kathmandu Post reported. The emergency procedure allows authorities to bury unidentified remains when storage capacity is exhausted, while preserving enough forensic evidence to establish identity later. Nepal Police has also published details of unidentified and unclaimed flood victims online. In a post on X, it said people can scan a QR code or visit its official database to view information about bodies recovered in Rasuwa district. A 40-member medical team, including seven forensic pathologists and seven dental surgeons, has been involved in the identification effort. DNA samples have already been collected from bodies at temporary holding facilities. SITUATION IN OTHER PLACES The problem of managing bodies extends beyond Chitwan.