Nepal is intensifying relief and recovery operations following the catastrophic flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border a week ago, the UN says, even as rescuers scramble to reach anyone who may be alive.
For thousands, the priority is delivering aid, recovering loved ones, tracing missing relatives and reunifying separated children, the UN secretary-general’s spokesman said.
At least 1,114 people have died in Nepal and nearly 4,000 more are missing, according to Nepal’s disaster agency. On the Tibetan side, the death toll is 21, with more than 540 people unaccounted for, Chinese state media report.
Efforts are continuing to rescue workers, potentially in the hundreds, believed to be trapped in Nepalese hydropower tunnels.
A massive flash flood, believed to have been triggered by a glacial collapse, swept through a Himalayan valley last Wednesday, wiping out villages.
Nearly 12,000 people have since been rescued, according to Nepal’s disaster management agency.
The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says the main challenge is access, with more than 40 bridges destroyed.
Credit: bbc.com
