Daijiworld Media Network - Kathmandu
Kathmandu, Aug 29: Nearly 2,500 people remain missing following devastating flash floods that swept through a mountainous region along the Nepal-China border, as rescue teams on both sides intensified operations amid challenging conditions.
At least 579 people have been confirmed dead, while 1,924 remain unaccounted for, including hundreds of foreign nationals from India, Malaysia, Australia and the United States, Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said in a post on X.
The latest figure is nearly double the authority’s previous estimate of missing people.
In China, the death toll has risen to seven, while 554 people remain missing, according to state broadcaster CGTN.
The disaster struck on Wednesday after a glacial collapse triggered a massive surge of ice, mud, rocks and water through a valley in Nepal. Entire settlements were swept away as the torrent destroyed buildings, bridges, trees and vehicles.
Videos from the affected areas showed residents attempting to escape as walls of water and debris rushed through settlements, carrying away everything in their path.
Nepal has deployed around 15,000 personnel to conduct rescue and recovery operations in the affected areas. The operations have proved particularly difficult in villages buried under thick layers of sludge and at hydropower projects where workers became trapped inside tunnels.
The Nepalese military has intensified its operations, with special teams deployed to the worst-affected areas. The prime minister’s office said troops were also working to recover bodies as quickly as possible.
Rescue operations have been further complicated by the threat of additional flooding. Rivers blocked by huge quantities of mud and debris have created new and unstable lakes upstream.
Authorities are closely monitoring these water bodies, some of which are rapidly filling and could breach their banks, potentially triggering further flash floods downstream.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Balendra Shah denied reports that Nepal had rejected foreign assistance. He said the government was coordinating with India, China and other countries over relief and rescue efforts.
The scale of destruction is expected to place a huge financial burden on Nepal. Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle said the country would require at least a few billion dollars to recover and rebuild after the disaster.
Speaking to Bloomberg Television on Friday, Wagle said Nepal, whose economy is valued at around $45 billion, would need international financial support for a massive reconstruction programme.
Authorities continue to focus on rescuing survivors, recovering bodies and monitoring unstable lakes and rivers as the humanitarian situation develops across the disaster-hit mountainous region.