The death toll from glacial floods in the Himalayan mountains has topped 1,000, with Chinese and Nepali rescue teams continuing to search for survivors, including dozens of hydropower workers believed trapped in tunnels. Around 4,500 people remain missing after waves of ice-cold water, rocks and debris swept through villages and towns, destroying some entirely, according to Agence France-Presse.
Nepali rescue teams are racing against time in harsh geographic and weather conditions to reach around 100 hydropower workers thought to be trapped inside tunnels. Excavation, clearing and debris removal work continues around the clock with support from teams from China, India and South Korea, though only a handful of bodies have been recovered from the mud-filled tunnels so far.
Army spokesman Raja Ram Basnet told Agence France-Presse that rescue efforts are currently focused on the tunnels and work is continuing. Soldiers are deployed to collect bodies and prevent disease outbreaks, he said. Nepal has begun burying hundreds of bodies after taking DNA samples to allow families to claim them later, while at least 17 bodies have been recovered from rivers in India.
In the capital Kathmandu, large crowds gathered outside a hospital and posted photographs of missing relatives on a long wall. Relief needs remain enormous as the floods destroyed entire villages, roads, hydropower stations and dozens of bridges, leaving families displaced or sheltering in temporary centers. A police officer in the hardest-hit Nuwakot district said the challenges are very large and exceed their capacity.
Nepal has recovered 987 bodies with 3,916 still missing, while China reported 16 dead and 546 missing. The missing list in Nepal includes 592 foreigners from more than 30 countries, among them hikers, climbers and Hindu pilgrims heading to Mount Kailash in Tibet. Over 2,000 people are involved in rescue operations, but they are advancing slowly toward the epicenter.
Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said Monday evening that it is time to raise forcefully with the international community the issue of disasters the country is experiencing as a result of climate change. Nepal's reconstruction costs could reach billions of dollars, authorities warned.
