KABUL (Pajhwok): The death toll from flash floods in Nepal has risen to 579, with another 1,924 people still missing, while five people have died and 558 others are missing in China’s Tibet region.
The flash floods struck the Himalayan border area between Nepal and China last Wednesday, causing widespread loss of life and property damage.
The Associated Press (AP) reported that rescue teams continued search and rescue operations on Friday amid mud and debris in areas severely affected by the floods.
Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said the death toll in the country had risen to 579, while the number of missing people stood at 1,924.
According to the authority, 517 of those reported missing are foreign nationals.
Nepalese officials said more than 3,700 people had so far been rescued, while 14,829 security personnel were involved in search and rescue operations.
Meanwhile, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that five people had died and 558 others were missing in China’s Tibet region, which shares a border with Nepal, following the floods.
Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said 96 Indian nationals who had been stranded on the Chinese side had crossed into Nepal by land, but contact had still not been established with more than 320 other Indian nationals.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) estimated that at least 93,000 people had been affected by the disaster and were in urgent need of assistance.
UNICEF said at least 17,000 children affected by the floods needed urgent humanitarian assistance, while 18 schools had been completely destroyed and another 20 damaged.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said six health facilities had been damaged and eight health workers were missing.
Initial investigations into the cause of the floods suggest that the collapse of part of a large glacier in Nepal’s high mountainous region may have triggered the disaster.
Scientists said falling ice and rocks may have temporarily blocked a river, followed by the sudden release of accumulated water, resulting in severe flooding.
The US Geological Survey said it recorded a glacier movement on Wednesday that registered a magnitude equivalent to a 5.2-magnitude earthquake on seismometers.
Scientists said it was too early to directly link the specific event to climate change. However, they warned that rising global temperatures are increasing the risk of glacier collapses and flash floods in the Himalayas.
Authorities have advised people who remain in areas at risk of flooding to move to safer locations, warning that further flooding is possible.
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