Miracle Finds

Nepali rescuers faced challenging conditions on Sunday as search operations after catastrophic floods entered their 12th day, buoyed by the extraordinary rescues of four survivors. The glacial and mountain collapse on the China-Nepal border has killed at least 1,372 people and left more than 5,500 missing across the two countries.

Rescuers found two more people alive on Saturday, joining two saved the day before. Three of those were found in hydropower tunnels where the government initially said it believed more than 100 workers could be alive. On Saturday, rescuers pulled a Chinese man alive from deep inside a hydropower tunnel, and a 64-year-old Nepali woman from her mud-covered home.

Himalayan tsunami

Prime Minister Balendra Shah said the latter rescue had "given hope to the entire nation". Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has called the disaster a "Himalayan tsunami" and has warned reconstruction costs could run into the billions of dollars. The United Nations has launched a $50 million appeal to help more than 84,000 people.

With mortuaries overflowing, Nepal has buried hundreds of bodies in mass graves, after taking DNA samples for future identification. Only around 100 bodies have been identified and handed over to families. Nepal will hold a national day of mourning on Monday, the 13th day since the disaster, in line with a traditional period of mourning in Hindu rituals.