The death toll from catastrophic flash floods and mudslides in Nepal has climbed above 900, with more than 4,000 people still missing, according to Nepal’s disaster agency. The agency reported 903 deaths in the country, while nearly 2,500 people remained unaccounted for as of Saturday, including about 100 Americans, NBC News reported.
More than 8,000 people have been rescued, according to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, which consolidates information from the Nepal Police, Nepal Army and Armed Police Force. The Nepal Red Cross said over 90,000 people have been affected by the disaster.
International Toll
The Nepal Tourism Board said 583 foreign nationals remain “out of communication,” with more than 30 Britons among those unaccounted for, the Evening Standard reported. Chinese state media said 15 people from Britain were among 261 missing foreigners, though it is unclear how many overlap with the Nepal figures. China has separately reported 16 deaths and 546 people missing in its Tibet region, including hundreds of foreigners.
Two teenagers, a 13-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy, are among the 33 British nationals believed to be unaccounted for. Others with links to the UK who are missing include an NHS nurse, a Hindu priest from south London who was leading a tour in the region, and an 18-year-old from Surrey who had recently finished his A-levels, the Evening Standard reported.
Geetha Reddy is among those missing, and her husband, who is from London, told the BBC he has not heard from his wife since the flooding hit. He said: “We’re not sure what to do. I have two [children].”
The disaster began Wednesday when a massive chunk of ice and rock broke off a mountaintop and triggered the flooding, geologists said. The suspected collapse of a melting glacier shook the ground so violently that seismic monitors initially registered it as a magnitude-4.4 earthquake; the S. Geological Survey later revised that to the equivalent of a 5.2 magnitude earthquake and said a second seismic event followed.
Rescue and Relief Efforts
Rescuers have struggled to reach devastated communities along the Nepal-Tibet border, with damaged roads, power outages and fears of further flooding hampering efforts. On Saturday, a rapid deployment team from the UK arrived in Nepal to provide support for British nationals and their families. They will help co-ordinate assistance for Britons at the airport, support those seeking information about missing relatives, and liaise with local authorities.
The UK’s response includes £5 million of humanitarian support for relief and recovery efforts. The team will also work with families in the UK concerned about loved ones in the affected area.
A number of those missing had been on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, according to The Trekkers’ Association of Nepal, as reported by the Evening Standard. Tour operator Kailash Journeys said it had not been able to account for seven UK nationals who were travelling with the company.
Rescue efforts had previously been hampered by fears of more flooding from a lake formed by the glacier collapse which sparked the flooding.