Nepal flood death toll rises to 359 as search continues for over 1,000 missing
Rescuers search debris-strewn valleys and hillsides as helicopters deliver emergency supplies to thousands cut off by the disaster.
The death toll from devastating floods in Nepal has risen to 359, with bodies recovered from eight districts as search and rescue operations continue for more than 1,000 people who are still missing.
Nepali Police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle confirmed the revised death toll to The Kathmandu Post, which reported the figures this afternoon (27 August).
As of 5pm, 17 bodies had been recovered in Rasuwa, 28 in Nuwakot, 33 in Dhading, 132 in Chitwan, 30 in Gorkha, 22 in Tanahun, 82 in Nawalparasi East, and 15 in Nawalparasi West.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Rescuers searched debris-strewn valleys and hillsides today as more than 1,000 people remained missing in Nepal and neighbouring China after a wall of ice, mud and rock collapsed into a mountain river, triggering catastrophic flash floods, Reuters reported.
Authorities in Nepal deployed helicopters to search for survivors and deliver emergency supplies to thousands of people cut off in towns and valleys after Wednesday's disaster swept through a road linking Kathmandu with Lhasa in Tibet, a route used by trekkers and pilgrims.
Nepal's Home Minister Sudhan Gurung said the priority remained finding survivors. Rescue teams had located 100 missing Indian visitors, mostly pilgrims, and 25 Chinese workers in the worst-hit area around the Trishuli River, he said.
More than 650 foreign nationals were still unaccounted for, while authorities were yet to determine the number of Nepali nationals missing, according to Reuters.
In China's Gyirong county, 558 people were reported missing, including 260 foreign nationals, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported. China said its death toll remained at three.
The missing foreign nationals across the two regions included people from more than two dozen countries, including India, the United States, Malaysia, Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada.
Bodies recovered downstream
Ganesh Aryal, administrator of Chitwan district, said authorities had recovered 103 bodies from the river system in his district, around 100km from the worst-hit area around Trishuli, according to Reuters.
With local hospitals unable to accommodate all the bodies, authorities were setting up tents and making arrangements for families expected to arrive to identify and claim their relatives.
Unidentified bodies would be sent for DNA testing, Aryal said.
More than 5,000 army and police personnel have joined the rescue effort, which recovered 125 people today, including 20 foreigners, according to Nepal's army.
Helicopters were also dropping tents, food and other emergency supplies provided by neighbouring India in the hardest-hit districts.
Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah travelled by road to Nuwakot to assess the situation in one of the worst-affected districts.
Risk of further flooding
The disaster has also raised concerns over another potential flood threat in Tibet.
Chinese authorities identified risks from a lake dammed by debris upstream of the mudslide and flood-hit Tibet-Nepal border crossing. The lake was estimated to contain around 2 million cubic metres of water on Thursday morning and was already overflowing, CCTV reported.
Another 3 million cubic metres of water is expected to enter the lake over the next three days, raising the risk of a breach, according to Chinese state media.
Early reports from Nepali officials suggested an earthquake may have caused the lower part of a glacier to collapse and trigger the floods. However, the US Geological Survey said seismic energy detected in the area was generated by the collapse of glacial rock and ice, followed by a debris flow.
Many of those affected were pilgrims travelling towards Kailash Mansarovar, a high-altitude site in Tibet considered sacred by Hindus and Buddhists.
International aid pledged
Countries and international organisations have rushed to offer assistance as the scale of the disaster became clearer.
India, the United States, Canada and the United Nations said they were providing assistance or closely monitoring the situation. UN teams have also been sending supplies and personnel to support affected communities.
China is maintaining close communication with Nepal over search and rescue efforts, while Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited the disaster-hit area in Gyirong today, state-run Xinhua reported.
The floods swept through Rasuwa and other districts before surging downstream along the Trishuli and Narayani river systems, damaging settlements, roads, bridges and other infrastructure.
