The flood in the Himalayas

Analysis: China also seems to be badly affected – but almost impossible to gain insight

Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent his "deepest condolences" and "most heartfelt sympathies" to Nepal after the flood disaster.

BBC China Correspondent Laura Bicker emphasizes at the same time that it is almost impossible to gain insight into the extent of the disaster on the Chinese side. The outside world has to rely almost entirely on reports from state media.

Tibet is one of China's most tightly controlled regions due to its history of independence struggle - the Communist Party is vigilant for any hint of protests and instability.

"That is why orders have come personally from Xi Jinping, and why Prime Minister Li Qiang visited the region already on Thursday," writes Bicker.

Foreign journalists are not allowed in, and even state media seem to have difficulty getting to the cut-off disaster area, says Sky News Asia correspondent Helen-Ann Smith.

- But there are several political signs in China that the situation is very, very serious, she says.

- Xi Jinping personally chaired a meeting to coordinate the emergency relief effort, and a minute of silence was held. This does not happen often in China, that it is done so publicly.

The number of missing is written up significantly to almost 2,000

Nepal's emergency authority wrote up the number of missing significantly after the flood disaster on Wednesday, writes AFP.

A total of 1,924 people are missing, including 517 foreign nationals and 933 workers at hydroelectric power plants in the rivers where the water mass emerged.

579 people have been confirmed dead.