Nepal death toll climbs to 1,252 as rescue efforts intensify

Nepali army personnel and rescue squads, bolstered by foreign experts, pressed ahead with search-and-rescue operations throughout Thursday in a bid to reach people feared trapped within several hydropower tunnel complexes across the country. The rising death toll reflects the scale of the emergency unfolding in the Himalayan nation, where rescue teams have been mobilised across multiple sites. International assistance has proven crucial in the coordinated response, with specialist teams deployed to navigate the challenging terrain and confined spaces of the affected tunnel systems. The operation underscores the hazards faced by workers in Nepal's hydroelectric power sector, where such infrastructure projects frequently operate in remote, difficult-to-access locations. Authorities have not yet provided a comprehensive timeline for when rescue operations are expected to conclude, with teams maintaining round-the-clock efforts to locate additional survivors.