The death toll in the devastating flash floods in Nepal rose to 359 on Thursday, August 27, and the number of people missing shot up to more than 1,000, according to Nepali authorities, even as rescue and relief operations were intensified amid China warning Nepal of fresh flood threats as a large barrier lake has formed.
Much of the highly populated area between Nepal and Tibet was laid waste in the massive flash flood on Wednesday. Roads were destroyed, bridges broken into pieces, buildings toppled, and communications networks were disrupted by the surge of water mixed with mud and rocks that came rushing down the Himalayan valley.
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Efforts were on to trace survivors in the debris. Scores of bodies were retrieved along with survivors waiting for help. Largescale relief measures were underway to arrange food and living spaces for the survivors, with aid organisations chipping in. Disruption of communication networks and power outages were hampering relief and rehabilitation efforts. Various organisations were still at work assessing the scale of the tragedy.
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India’s ministry of external affairs on Thursday said the country has sent the second consignment of relief aid, including 37.5 tonnes of HADR material, medicines and food packets to Nepal.
Nepal’s disaster management authority said more than 1,000 people were still missing, nearly 500 of them tourists from abroad. At least 288 of the missing foreigners were from India. Visitors from the USA, Australia, Britain, Canada and Malaysia were among the missing, too, said officials. As many as 100 Chinese citizens were missing in Nepal, said China’s foreign ministry.
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While only three deaths were officially reported in Tibet, at least 558 people were missing in Tibet’s Gyirong County, including 260 foreigners, according to Chinese state media.
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The warning from China added fresh worries. According to The Kathmandu Post, China’s water ministry said on Thursday that a lake is already overflowing and could breach as more water flows into it over the coming days.
