Nepal flood reconstruction bill to be $4.78bn – Foreign ministry

Nepal's foreign ministry estimates the reconstruction bill after deadly glacial floods will be $4.78 billion. The floods, caused by a glacial mountain collapse on the China-Nepal border on August 26, resulted in the deaths of over 1,400 people.

According to the disaster agency, rescuers have retrieved 1,385 bodies, while around 5,130 people are missing, as reported by Channel News Asia. The foreign ministry spokesman, Lok Bahadur Chhetri, provided the estimated reconstruction cost, breaking it down into $57.67 million for short-term reconstruction and recovery over the next six months, and $4.71 billion for longer-term reconstruction.

Nepal's Prime Minister, Balendra Shah, has stated that the country needs long-term international support to adapt to a rapidly changing mountain environment, and is expected to address the UN General Assembly on the issue this month.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria, Interfax-Ukraine, Channel News Asia, Free Malaysia Today — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.