Kathmandu: Rescue operations in Nepal have intensified as authorities search for thousands of people still missing following devastating flash floods triggered by a glacial collapse along the Nepal Tibet border.
Nepalese authorities said Monday that at least 903 people had died, while 4,247 remained unaccounted for. Across the border in Tibet’s Gyirong County, Chinese authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 missing people. Among those unaccounted for in Tibet are hundreds of foreign nationals.
The disaster began on August 26 after a large section of glacier near Langtang Lirung in the Himalayas collapsed. The resulting torrent carried enormous quantities of ice, rock and debris into the Lende River before sweeping through Nepal’s Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading districts.
Hydropower facilities along the affected rivers have become a central focus of the rescue effort. Nepal’s disaster management authorities estimate that 933 hydropower workers are among those missing. Several workers are believed to be trapped inside tunnels buried under mud and rock.
Rescue teams have concentrated on the Trishuli 3A and 3B hydropower projects, where heavy machinery is being used to clear blocked passages.
At Trishuli 3A, teams have drilled through accumulated debris, pumped air into a tunnel and deployed cameras to search for survivors. Nearly 300 workers have already been brought to safety from the affected tunnels.
The scale and complexity of the disaster have prompted international assistance. China has deployed more than 2,100 rescue personnel and provided financial and logistical support, while India has sent military personnel trained in tunnel rescue, forensic specialists and emergency supplies.
Other assistance has come from the UN, Red Cross, Australia, South Korea and the US. However, difficult Himalayan terrain, unstable weather and rising river levels continue to obstruct rescue operations.
Two temporary barrier lakes formed by the disaster have also created the risk of additional flooding downstream. Nepalese authorities have warned that the situation remains dangerous as rescue teams work against time to locate survivors and assess the full extent of the destruction.
