Nepal flood disaster: 392 dead, 1,400 missing as rescuers race against new deluge
Rescuers in Nepal and China are racing to find more than 1,400 people missing after a devastating glacial collapse triggered massive floods and landslides along the remote Himalayan border.
The disaster sent a tsunami-like wall of freezing water, mud and debris through villages, burying homes, destroying bridges and dams and sweeping away vehicles.
Emergency teams have so far recovered 392 bodies, while many more people remain unaccounted for.
The US Geological Survey said the disaster was caused by a glacial collapse that unleashed a vast flow of icy debris. Scientists warn that climate change is accelerating glacier melt worldwide, increasing the risk of glacial lake floods and sudden glacial collapses.
Nepalese soldiers and emergency workers are using sniffer dogs to search for survivors and bodies buried beneath huge piles of mud and debris. However, rescue operations have been complicated by the threat of further flooding.
A lake of rising water has formed behind debris blocking a valley, prompting Chinese authorities to warn that it faces a “high risk of breaching and sending floodwaters downstream.”
Officials fear another surge could hit already devastated communities and further endanger rescuers.
Massive landslides and flash floods have caused widespread destruction on both sides of the Nepal-Tibet border, with Chinese state media reporting significant casualties while Nepalese officials describe the devastation as a “huge scale loss.”
Among those still missing are believed to be foreign tourists, including Himalayan trekkers and Hindu pilgrims travelling to Tibet’s sacred Mount Kailash, further complicating efforts to establish the identities and whereabouts of victims.
Rescue teams remain on high alert as authorities monitor the unstable landscape and rising waters for signs of another catastrophic breach.
