Nepal resumes flood rescue, seeks technical help and aid

The death toll from severe floods in Nepal and Tibet has risen to 797, with over 3,000 people still missing, according to authorities. Rescue operations have been halted multiple times due to severe weather and fears that a lake formed by a mudslide could cause more flooding. The Nepal Disaster Authority reported 781 Nepali deaths and 2,502 missing individuals, while Chinese state media confirmed 16 deaths and 546 missing persons in Tibet.

The overall toll amounts to 797 fatalities and 3,048 unaccounted-for individuals. The Red Cross estimates that over 90,000 people may have been affected by the disaster, attributed to climate change. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi informed his Nepalese counterpart that this was one of the most severe cross-border disasters in recent years, making rescue operations extremely challenging.

Nepal's rescue efforts are now focused on rescuing people trapped in tunnels at hydropower plants after a massive ice, rock, and mudslide from the Himalayan rivers. The disaster has affected 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries, including 104 Nepalis, 49 Indians, 33 Latvians, 18 Americans, and 15 Britons. Two Irish citizens, Santosh Sahu and Spandan Sahu, are among the missing.

Both Nepal and China are collaborating to identify missing citizens and foreigners, enhance disaster prevention and mitigation efforts, and address climate-change responses. While Nepal does not require foreign assistance for general rescue operations, it needs help with tunnel rescue, DNA testing, refrigerated storage for bodies, and forensic identification.

Indian and Chinese experts are presently assisting in opening tunnels. The lake that had formed upstream and threatened rescue operations has largely drained, but a landslide downstream has led to a new dam and water pool. Authorities have relocated rescue personnel near the Gyirong border crossing for safety. China has dispatched over 2,100 rescue workers and allocated 220 million yuan (€28.2m) to support relief efforts, including emergency cash aid, disaster relief supplies, satellite and hydrological data, and tunnel rescue experts.