Joanna Lumley joins Nepalese community in London for vigil remembering those affected by devastating floods - as death toll jumps above 1,250

Dame Joanna Lumley has joined the Nepalese community at a vigil in London today in honour of those affected by the devastating floods that have claimed more than 1,250 lives so far.A glacier collapse on August 26 sent a deluge of ice, rock and mud sweeping through the impoverished nation's border region with China, wiping out settlements and villages and leaving few houses standing and undamaged. The Ab Fab star, who has spent decades supporting Nepalese charities and advocating for the rights of Gurkha veterans, attended the moment of reflection in solidarity with the community at Panas Restaurant in Blackheath, south London, and lit candles to remember the victims.A vigil was also held in Kent this morning for Sarada Simkhada, a senior nurse at Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford, who went missing in the floods, accounting for one of the 33 Brits missing in the disaster.Rescuers are continuing to search for workers trapped in tunnels linked to hydropower projects and thousands remain missing after last week's catastrophe. At least 1,252 people were killed in Nepal last week as houses, streets and schools in towns and villages near the border with China's Tibet were swept away. More than 4,200 people are still missing and thousands more displaced. China has put the death toll in Tibet at 21, with 541 others listed as missing.Nepalese authorities confirmed earlier today that the country will have to rebuild around 20,000 houses in flood-ravaged areas. Joanna Lumley joined the Nepalese community who held a vigil in London today in honour of those affected by the devastating floods The Ab Fab star has spent decades supporting Nepalese charities and advocating for the rights of Gurkha veterans Lumley attended the moment of reflection in solidarity with the community at Panas Restaurant in Blackheath, south London, and lit candles to remember the victims'Our preliminary estimates are that 7,500 houses have been completely destroyed, either washed away or buried under debris and mud,' Dharma Raj Upreti, chief of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, told Reuters.Even houses still standing were not habitable, Mr Upreti said, with authorities estimating that around 20,000 houses would have to be rebuilt in different, safer locations.More than 9,300 Nepali army troops are on the ground in the affected areas of Timure in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Chitwan and Nawalparasi East, coordinating search-and-rescue of the injured and helping with management of bodies, clearing blocked roads, and providing emergency medical treatment, an army statement said on Thursday.An Australian medical student whose partner went missing near the Nepal-China border urged tech companies to do more to help find him and others caught up in the disaster by sharing tracking data that could narrow the search areas for rescue teams.At least 583 foreign nationals were missing in the floods, Nepal said on Thursday, many of them pilgrims and trekkers.An army officer who spoke on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media, said the search was continuing with experts from India, South Korea and China for at least 900 survivors believed to be trapped in the tunnels related to hydropower projects.'The search–and–rescue operation will continue as long as there is any hope of finding survivors. Even if there are no survivors, we will recover the dead bodies,' he said.Army spokesman Raja Ram Basnet said two bodies had been recovered from the tunnel of Langtang Khola hydropower plant. An aerial view shows Kerung-Rasuwa border, a vital trade and travel crossing between China and Nepal following the deadly flash floods and mudslides, as rescue team woks on the Chinese side (September 3 2026) People hold onto a cage on a makeshift zip line as they cross the Trishuli River from Koloni following deadly flash floods that damaged bridges and temporarily stranded residents, in Nuwakot district, Nepal (September 3 2026) An aerial view of houses surrounded by mud, rocks and debris following flash floods in Betravati village, Rasuwa, Nepal (September 3 2026)Australia pledged additional support and said it would also share telecommunications data with Nepali authorities.China has sent a third batch of aid to Nepal including tents, blankets, medical protective suits and satellite communication equipment, the foreign ministry said on Thursday, adding that the weather offices of the two countries were in contact with each other.'China will continue to provide emergency assistance based on Nepal's needs and carry out international rescue cooperation,' foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a daily briefing on Thursday.Reports on the rescue efforts in Tibet, largely provided by Chinese state media as foreign reporters' access to the region is restricted, have slowed a day after the G216 national highway leading to the site was reopened.Since Wednesday morning, rescue teams have been able to enter the site where the Gyirong border crossing complex once stood, bringing excavators and specialised equipment with them.'People have lost everything. They don't have citizenship IDs or passports,' said Phanindra Paudel, an official at Nepal's National Emergency Operation Center.Authorities were working to restore regular routines as much as possible, with a focus on getting children into makeshift schools.More than a week after the flood, at least 22,000 children urgently need safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene support, Unicef said in a statement. An aerial view shows household belongings scattered in a house mid mud and debris following flash flood in Betravati village, Rasuwa, Nepal (September 3 2026)'Our priority is to restore normal life. We are considering if children can be taught in the holding centres,' Mr Paudel said.Finding safe buildings in which to hold classes was a challenge, teachers said.'We are looking for safe, empty buildings or other schools where we can resume classes. The school building was completely washed away, so we will have to build a new one in a safer location,' said Rajendra Dawadi, headmaster of a school who helped save about 900 students by evacuating them in time.Shanti Sunar, 45, escaped the disaster with her husband but lost her house and a small shop she ran.'I have been visiting the site almost every day. I can recognise where our house stood, but there is no trace of it now.''We cannot rebuild at the same location because it is not safe. I expect the government to relocate us to a safer place.'Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged £5million to help the Nepalese government respond to the devastation caused from the floods, describing it as a 'very distressing and devastating situation'. Scientists have blamed climate change for the natural disaster, which came just one month after an ominous study was published, warning that global warming could spark glacial collapse in the region.