Over 80 Tamil Nadu Pilgrims Missing After Nepal Flash Floods, 21 Return Home
The minister said 21 of the 57 people who travelled through Super Yathira agency in Kumbakonam have returned safely.
A catastrophic flood along the Nepal-China border in the Himalayas has claimed over 800 lives and left more than 3,000 people missing. Nepali and Chinese authorities have confirmed 804 deaths in Nepal, with an additional 3,048 missing. In Tibet, China reports 16 deaths and 546 missing, including 261 foreign nationals. Rescue crews are struggling to find survivors and identify the increasing number of bodies, with hospitals reporting overflowing morgues.
The Nepali government has requested international aid, including over 1,000 freezer units and DNA testing equipment, to prevent bodies from decomposing and help identify loved ones. Authorities are also racing to recover workers trapped in hydropower tunnels at several sites, with Nepal's disaster management agency estimating that around 933 workers are unaccounted for.
Despite a hole being bored into the tunnel of the Trishuli 3A hydropower project, rescue teams have not yet located any survivors. The reconstruction effort is expected to cost US$4 billion to US$5 billion, or roughly 10% of Nepal's gross national product. International aid pledges have included over US$3.6 million from the US, CA$5 million from Canada, 2 million euros from the European Union, 5 million pounds from the UK, and $1 million from Malaysia.
The United Nations has provided US$2.5 million, while the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has launched an emergency appeal for 25 million Swiss francs. The Korean government's joint rapid response team and Doosan Enerbility were unable to send two helicopters for search operations after the Nepali military denied their request due to safety concerns and air traffic congestion.
Written by urgent.news from Hankyoreh's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
