Rescue teams in China and Nepal are continuing search operations 12 days after severe flash floods devastated parts of the region. The scale of the disaster remains a point of discrepancy between reports, as the total number of missing persons is being estimated in the thousands.

Al Jazeera reports that more than 5,500 people remain missing across both nations. In contrast, Sky News provides a more specific, albeit lower, figure regarding Chinese-confirmed data, stating that 43 people have been confirmed dead and 519 are missing specifically in relation to floods that impacted Nepal and the Tibet region.

The disparity in these figures likely stems from the scope of the reporting; Al Jazeera’s figure encompasses a broader regional impact, while Sky News focuses on data officially confirmed by Chinese authorities regarding the Tibet-Nepal border area. Despite the difference in the reported number of missing individuals, both outlets agree that the situation is critical and that search efforts are ongoing. The floods, which began over a week ago, have caused significant infrastructure damage and displaced large numbers of people, complicating the ability of emergency responders to reach remote areas. As of now, neither government has provided a singular, unified death toll for the entirety of the affected zones, leaving international observers to rely on fragmented reports from local authorities.