Rescuers Retrieve Flood Survivors Caked in Mud as Death Toll in Nepal-China Border Disaster Climbs
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Rescuers pulled out survivors caked in dark brown mud and helicopters lifted stranded people to safety, as Nepal and China raced to respond to catastrophic flash floods that killed nearly 600 people and left almost 2,500 missing.
Rescuers in Nepal and China worked tirelessly to reach survivors buried under layers of mud following catastrophic flash floods that have claimed nearly 600 lives and left over 2,500 people missing. The rescue efforts included a team rappelling into a severely damaged checkpoint area on the Chinese side of the border, while Nepal's army deployed to help over 100 people potentially trapped in a tunnel at a hydropower plant.
The floods were triggered by a glacier collapse that created a new lake high in the Himalayan mountains, which was starting to overflow. Nepal's army rescued 350 people from the tunnel, while 3,253 were airlifted by helicopter. The death toll in Nepal has risen to 553, according to police, with 680 rescuers reaching the disaster zone by foot, rafts, and drones.
Neighboring countries have shown solidarity, with Sri Lanka sending $1 million to help Nepal. The disaster was caused by bedrock collapse under a glacier, registering as a magnitude 5.2 earthquake.
Written by urgent.news from The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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