KABUL (Pajhwok): The death toll from flash floods and widespread landslides in Nepal and areas along the border with China’s Tibet region has risen to 270, while nearly 1,500 people remain missing, including at least 700 foreign nationals.
Reuters reported that search and rescue operations were continuing, with rescue teams using helicopters to look for missing people.
Tents, food and other emergency supplies were also being transported to thousands of people stranded in affected cities and valleys.
Nepalese police said the death toll had reached 270. Meanwhile, hospitals in Kathmandu, the capital, have been overwhelmed by the continued arrival of people injured in the floods.
According to the report, more than 5,000 Nepalese army and police personnel are involved in rescue operations.
On Thursday alone, 125 people, including 20 foreign nationals, were rescued. Helicopters were also transporting emergency aid from India to the worst-affected areas.
Officials said the number of missing foreign nationals was changing. The latest figures showed that more than 700 foreign nationals remained missing in Nepal and Tibet, including 177 Indians, at least 63 Americans, 53 Ukrainians, 34 Australians, 33 Britons, 25 Canadians and eight Germans.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said at least 288 Indian nationals were missing in Nepal, while another 200 were stranded in China.
However, Nepalese officials said rescue teams had located around 100 Indian nationals and 25 Chinese workers who had previously been reported missing. The number of missing people therefore remained subject to change.
Experts believe the disaster may have been triggered by the collapse of part of a glacier in the Himalayas, sending large amounts of ice and rock into a valley. The exact cause of the glacier collapse, however, remains unknown.
Reuters reported that the water level of the Trishuli River in one downstream area rose by around nine metres in just 30 minutes.
China, India, the United States, South Korea, the European Union, the World Health Organization and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have also provided financial, medical and emergency assistance to those affected.
hz/sa
