Devastating Flash Floods in Nepal and China Kill Over 1,000
Theo Al Jazeera English
Flash floods triggered by a glacier collapse in the Himalayas have killed over 1,000 people in Nepal and China, with more than 4,400 missing. Rescue teams are focusing on hydropower tunnels where hundreds of workers are believed trapped, while aid and international support pour into Nepal.
Catastrophic flash floods in Nepal and China have killed more than 1,000 people, with over 4,400 still missing as rescue teams struggle to reach communities cut off by the disaster.
Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said on Tuesday that 987 deaths had been recorded in the country, with 3,916 people missing, including 583 foreigners.
Chinese authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 people still missing, including 261 foreigners, in their latest update on Sunday.
The disaster struck on August 26, triggered by a series of events in the Himalayas when a glacier collapse sent a massive torrent of rock, ice, and meltwater down valleys, causing severe flash floods downstream.
Scientists studying satellite images said the collapse appeared linked to the destruction of bedrock beneath a glacier.
Hundreds of workers are believed to be trapped in tunnels at several hydropower plants in Nepal, which have become the focus of rescue operations.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah said 279 workers had been rescued from hydropower projects so far, while initial official estimates had put the number of missing at more than 900.
More than 11,000 people have been rescued across the affected region, and electricity and communication lines have been restored in some areas, he added.
“Thousands of citizens have lost their homes, families, loved ones, and belongings,” Shah wrote on social media. “The government understands the immense pain they are enduring. The path forward is to support them through this suffering and help them return to normal life through rehabilitation.”
Rescue teams have restored road access to Nuwakot, one of the hardest-hit districts, facilitating rescue operations and the distribution of relief supplies, Shah said.
Aid Arrives in Nepal
Police official Bipin Regmi said a search team had found 24 bodies in a house in Betrabati village, Nuwakot district.
“We are reaching new areas and searching for bodies,” Regmi told Reuters.
Aid worth more than $42 million has poured into the country following the disaster, Shah said, and the government expects contributions to increase.
Neighboring India and China are supporting rescue efforts, including building Bailey bridges to reach remote affected areas.
Images and videos shared by rescue teams showed excavators scooping mud and rocks under floodlights in the dark as workers watched on.
Soldiers used flashlights to shine into a large hole they had dug to find access to a tunnel.
There has been a boom in hydropower projects in Nepal since the turn of the century, as the mountainous nation seeks to harness its water resources from the Himalayas to address chronic domestic power shortages and explore the potential of selling electricity to India, its southern neighbor.
Nepal's mountain hydropower projects require tunnels to channel water across steep terrain, allowing developers to exploit the large elevation differences between Himalayan rivers and the powerhouse to generate electricity.
