Number of missing in Nepal floods tops 2,400 as UNICEF warns 17,000 children need aid
More than 2,400 people remain missing in Nepal and China days after devastating floods swept away villages, with 586 bodies recovered so far. UNICEF says 17,000 children urgently need humanitarian assistance.
The number of people missing in Nepal and China passed 2,400 on Friday, underlining the scale of a disaster that struck days earlier when a tsunami-like surge of water and debris tore through villages, killing hundreds. Rescuers are still working through mud amid fears of further flooding, with 586 bodies recovered so far, some of them swept as far downstream as India.
Nepal's disaster authority has added 933 hydropower workers to its list of missing persons, which already included trekkers and pilgrims travelling toward Tibet's sacred Mount Kailash. In Kathmandu, relatives have gathered at hospitals in search of loved ones, with walls covered in posters bearing photos and names of the missing.
The US Geological Survey said the disaster, the deadliest to hit Nepal since a 2015 earthquake, was triggered by a glacial collapse that unleashed a massive flow of ice and debris. That flow also formed large lakes, one of which now poses a direct threat to rescue teams working in the area. Nepali police have told rescuers to move to safety immediately after receiving reports that a dam had burst again on the Tibetan side.
China was forced to temporarily halt rescue operations in the hard-hit area of Gyirong, but later said the risk had eased and work was proceeding in an orderly manner. Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired a meeting on the rescue effort and offered Beijing's assistance to Nepal.
Rescues continue
Nepal's military has located people trapped in a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower project and is working to find a way to reach them. Around 350 workers and residents have already been brought to safety from the site, though more than 100 people remain trapped there. One worker rescued from a nearby dam project said he survived only because he was inside a tunnel when the flood hit, while colleagues working outside were swept away.
Aid begins to arrive
Aid started reaching some survivors in Nepal on Friday as people sheltered at makeshift army relief centres and efforts continued to reunite children separated from their families. UNICEF said at least 17,000 children urgently need humanitarian assistance, while 18 schools have been destroyed and another 20 damaged. The International Red Cross estimates roughly 93,000 people have been affected. The European Union pledged €2 million in aid for Nepal on Friday.
