On the 29th (local time), the fourth day since massive floods struck the Himalayan mountainous region along the Nepal-China border, the total death toll confirmed in both countries rose to 682, with the number of missing approaching 3,000.

According to AP and AFP news agencies, Nepal's disaster authorities stated that 675 people were killed in the massive floods that struck the central Bagmati Province area on the 26th.

On the same day, the death toll from a mudslide linked to the floods in Gyirong County, Xigaze, in China's Tibet Autonomous Region near the border increased from 5 to 7, bringing the current total death toll across both countries to 682.

The total death toll had stood at 579 until the previous day, but increased by over 100 as bodies were continuously recovered in and around Bagmati Province.

Additionally, the number of missing persons in Nepal surged by about 500 from the previous 1,924 to 2,426.

Combined with the 554 missing persons identified in Tibet, the total number of missing stands at 2,980.

Among the missing, more than 500 foreigners are from some 30 countries, including India and the United States.

Nine South Koreans—including 6 employees of Doosan Enerbility and 3 employees of Korea Southern Power (KOSPO) who were constructing the Upper Trishuli-1 (UT-1) hydroelectric power plant in Nepal—remain out of contact.

On this day, a helicopter operated by the South Korean government began search operations for the first time at the flood-hit site in Nepal.

The government's joint quick response team secured 6 helicopters in the capital of Kathmandu along with Doosan Enerbility and Korea Southern Power, but due to controls by Nepalese authorities citing concerns over a "secondary flood," only 1 helicopter rented by Korea Southern Power searched the affected area the previous day.

However, on this day, neither Doosan Enerbility nor the Korea Southern Power local response team was able to launch helicopters due to bad weather and permission issues from Nepalese authorities.

South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced plans to additionally dispatch a joint government quick response team consisting of 1 official from the ministry and 8 officials from the National Fire Agency to the site in Nepal.

Previously, the government dispatched an 11-member quick response team to Nepal on the 27th, led by Lim Sang-woo, government representative for overseas Koreans' protection and consular affairs at the ministry.

The 9 additional personnel to be dispatched plan to join the existing response team in searching for and rescuing the missing.

Doosan Group Chairman Park Jeong-won also arrived in Nepal on this day to directly support search and rescue operations at the accident site where the 6 Doosan Enerbility employees are missing.

Search and rescue operations using helicopters were temporarily suspended in some areas of Nepal earlier in the day due to bad weather.

A senior official from the local authorities in Rasuwa, Bagmati Province, said, "We temporarily suspended search and rescue operations because of the rain and dense fog."

He added that efforts are currently focused on arranging overland transportation to evacuate rescued survivors to Kathmandu.

However, Nepalese rescue authorities are continuing efforts to rescue missing people trapped inside tunnels at the Upper Trishuli-1 (UT-1) hydroelectric power plant, which was inundated by the floods.

Spokesperson Basnet explained, "We estimate that more than 100 people are trapped in tunnels filled with mud," adding, "Rescue operations are difficult due to mud 1.2 to 1.5 meters deep and limited landing spots for helicopters."

The Nepal Electricity Authority stated that operations have been suspended at 11 hydroelectric power plants with a total generation capacity of 431.1 megawatts (MW) and 1 solar power plant.

This accounts for about 10% of Nepal's total installed capacity, and the number of missing hydroelectric plant workers reached 933.

According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the massive floods destroyed 18 schools and damaged 10 others in Nepal, affecting 10,000 school-aged children.

China Central Television (CCTV) reported that the water level of a natural barrier lake upstream of the Gyirong Port in the Tibet Autonomous Region, which overflowed the previous day, is gradually dropping, falling 10 meters from its peak the previous morning.

However, an official from Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority warned that the risk of secondary floods will persist until the lake is completely emptied.

It has been suggested that this massive flood may have been caused by the collapse of a huge volume of glaciers and rocks due to climate change in the Himalayas driven by global warming.

It was analyzed that a massive glacier 600 meters wide collapsed along with rocks at an altitude of 5,200 meters on Mount Langtang Lirung (7,234 meters above sea level), generating a severe impact comparable to a magnitude 5.2 earthquake.

It is estimated that the glacier and mudslide subsequently swept down the downstream areas from the Lende River along the Trishuli River, causing the major floods.