Rescuers worked through mud and debris Friday in areas devastated by a flash flood along the Himalayan border between Nepal and China.
They searched for hundreds of people still missing as the death toll rose and Nepali and Chinese authorities warned of further flooding from a lake that formed upstream after Wednesday’s disaster and was already overflowing. They urged people in potentially affected areas to move to safer ground.
Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said Friday the death toll had risen to 538. Nepali police later put the number of deaths higher at 547.
China state broadcaster CCTV said Friday that five people died in flooding along Tibet’s border with Nepal and 558 remained missing. Tibet is a region in China.
Here is the latest:
Japan foreign minister says relief team starting operations
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Friday that two members of an emergency relief team were set to start their operations at the disaster site in Nepal.
Japan also has decided to provide emergency relief goods at the request of Nepal and will provide additional support as needed, Motegi said.
Nepal death toll rises to 538
Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority says the death toll in flash floods has risen to 538.
Nepali police later put the number of deaths higher at 547.
The authority said in an update Friday that the number of missing people remained at 977 while 3,742 people have been rescued.
The authority said 14,829 security personnel have been mobilized for search and rescue operations.
PM says Pakistan is dispatching emergency relief assistance
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says his country is dispatching emergency relief assistance to support ongoing relief efforts following catastrophic flash floods.
Sharif gave the assurances while speaking to Nepalese Prime Minister Balen Shah on Friday.
Sharif’s office in Islamabad said he conveyed to Shah his “heartfelt condolences over the tragic loss of precious lives and widespread devastation caused by the recent flash floods and landslides.”
Sharif told Shah that Pakistan stood in complete solidarity with the government and people of Nepal during this difficult time.
“I assured Prime Minister Shah of our full support and conveyed that Pakistan is dispatching emergency relief assistance to contribute to the ongoing relief efforts,” Sharif said in the statement from his office.
Red Cross says at least 93,000 people ‘in great need’
The International Red Cross said it estimates at least 93,000 people “have been affected and are in great need.”
David Fisher, head of delegation in Nepal for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told reporters in Geneva that some areas are still accessible only by helicopter and it hasn’t yet been possible to complete initial assessments.
UNICEF said at least 17,000 children are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance while 18 schools have been completely destroyed and another 20 damaged.
The World Health Organization said six health facilities have been damaged and eight health workers are missing.
Nepal PM and cabinet will donate month’s salary to relief fund
Nepal Prime Minister Balen Shah and members of his cabinet will donate one month’s salary and remuneration to the Natural Disaster Relief Fund for flood victims, the government said Friday.
The decision was made during a cabinet meeting a day after Shah’s inspection of areas in Nuwakot hit by the flood.
Government spokesperson Sasmit Pokharel said the Finance Ministry also has been directed to prepare a relief and rehabilitation package for those affected.
The government is in contact with China through the Foreign Ministry over potential risks in the region, Pokharel said.
Rescuers arrive in hardest-hit zone on Chinese side of border
China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported Friday afternoon that 680 rescuers arrived at the hardest-hit zone in China’s Gyirong border area.
Video showed the rescuers arriving in an inflatable raft in rapids and flown in by a drone.
Footage shows that the road leading to the border was destroyed and flooded areas have become a river.
China says 5 people died in flooding
China state broadcaster CCTV says five people died in flooding along Tibet’s border with Nepal and 558 remain missing.
Tibet is a region in China.
China says glacier collapse in Nepal may have trigged disaster
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said analysis showed the disaster may have been triggered by a high-altitude glacier collapse in Nepal.
Lin Jian told reporters Thursday that the assessments were made by experts and official institutions from China and Nepal.
Nepal police say water dam on the Tibet side has burst again
All security personnel, rescue workers and members of the public deployed in rescue and relief efforts were told to remain on high alert and immediately move to a safe location if necessary.
No further details were provided.
“It hasn’t stopped,” Nepal police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle told The Associated Press, noting that the rescue operation is continuing but with a high alert.
Floods highlight growing glacier risks in warming Himalayas
The flooding was likely caused by a huge chunk of a glacier that broke off and temporarily dammed a river, according to preliminary investigations by scientists. That may have led to the backed-up water surging downstream with enormous force a few hours later, they suggested.
Scientists are still piecing together information from satellite and ground-level data to figure out exactly what happened to cause the flood.
The U.S. Geological Survey on Wednesday reported a magnitude 5.2 glacier collapse that sent debris flowing downstream with catastrophic impact on communities. It said its determination was based on data from nearby seismic stations, long period seismic waves and satellite imagery.
Scientists said it is too early to draw a direct connection between global warming and Wednesday’s catastrophe.
However, they said that as Earth’s temperature rises because of human activities such as burning oil, gas and coal, the chances of such disasters increase, especially in the Himalayan mountains, which are warming considerably faster than many other parts of the world.
