Ten days after Nepal floods, two more people rescued
Two more survivors were pulled from the wreckage of Nepal's devastating floods on Saturday, ten days after the disaster that has killed at least 1,362 people. Thousands of families across Nepal and China remain in agonizing uncertainty over missing relatives.
Rescuers in Nepal saved two more survivors on Saturday, ten days after catastrophic flash floods triggered by a surge of water, ice and debris swept away entire riverside communities, CNN reports.
Chinese national Lu Haitao was pulled from tunnels at a hydropower plant, where hundreds of other workers remain unaccounted for. Another survivor, 60-year-old Chandika Shrestha, was found further downstream, on the top floor of a four-story building in the devastated settlement of Betrawati.
Thousands of families across Nepal and China remain uncertain whether their loved ones are alive or dead. Authorities say the disaster has killed at least 1,362 people, with roughly 900 of the missing being hydropower workers who were at sites along the Trishuli River when a massive chunk of a melting glacier broke off, triggering a landslide and floods that buried entire communities within minutes. Two other workers were rescued Friday at another hydropower plant after rescue teams worked around the clock in hazardous conditions.
Despite these remarkable rescues, the death toll keeps rising — two more bodies were recovered at the same site where Lu was found — while other families continue their anguished wait for news of missing relatives. Rescue teams, aided by specialized units from India and China, are concentrating efforts on the hydropower facilities, while Nepal's army says it is also working to reach people cut off by the floods and to rebuild temporary bridges over the river.
Damage and humanitarian needs
According to Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, released Saturday, the floods damaged more than 7,500 homes and about 55 kilometers of roads nationwide, leaving thousands in need of humanitarian aid, though access to the area remains severely limited. A UN report estimates that around 35,000 people need safe temporary shelter, while 43,000 are feared to be at immediate risk of food insecurity.
Dozens of members of the US Congress have sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging the State Department to do more, including providing daily updates to relatives of missing Americans and additional support for recovery efforts. A State Department spokesperson said the agency does not comment on congressional correspondence, noting that $3.6 million has already been allocated for relief efforts, with an additional $3 million to be provided through a joint program with the World Food Programme.
