The death toll from the catastrophic floods that devastated Nepal and China has crossed 1,000, with authorities reporting 987 deaths in Nepal and 16 in China. Rescue teams continue efforts to reach communities cut off by destroyed roads, bridges and landslides.Nepal’s disaster agency said on Tuesday that 3,916 people remain missing, including 583 foreigners. At least 11,814 people have been rescued so far, with emergency crews using helicopters and other aircraft to reach stranded communities in areas where the floodwaters and landslides have severed road links.The disaster struck on August 26 after a chain of events high in the Himalayas. A glacial collapse sent huge volumes of rock, ice and meltwater into valleys below, triggering powerful floods that swept through parts of Tibet and Nepal.Scientists studying satellite imagery said the collapse appears to have been caused by the failure of bedrock beneath a glacier. The rockfall was powerful enough to register as a magnitude 5.2 seismic event.The resulting torrent of water and debris rapidly swelled rivers flowing through the Himalayan valleys, sweeping away homes, buildings, roads and bridges and carrying mud and rocks downstream. Meanwhile, Nepal has issued a fresh flood alert as water levels rise across several districts, adding to concerns over further disruption as rescue and relief operations continue.The ministry of external affairs has also issued helpline numbers for Indian nationals stuck in Nepal.
Indian pilgrims survive after being diverted from flood-hit route
Among those safely evacuated were 39 Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims from Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, who returned to India after being diverted from their original route because of the floods.The pilgrims had crossed into China before the disaster and escaped the worst of the flooding. Their return journey was rerouted with assistance from Chinese, Nepalese, Tamil Nadu and Indian authorities.“There were 39 people in our group; we started the journey from our village. Our route was to Kerung; from that route, we reached Mansarovar. While returning, the accident took place. Everything was taken away by the flood, immigration was affected, and none of the villages was left,” one pilgrim, Yogesh, told ANI.The ministry of external affairs has said 158 Indian citizens have so far been safely evacuated from Nepal.
Families seek missing relatives as Nepal begins identification process
With thousands still missing, the Indian Embassy in Nepal has issued procedures for families trying to identify the mortal remains of Indian citizens killed in the floods. Relatives can use photographs and descriptions published by Nepal Police, while DNA matching with first-degree relatives will be required where remains have been temporarily interred or cannot be identified visually.Nepal has temporarily interred a large number of remains to prevent health risks, making forensic identification particularly important as rescue and recovery operations continue.
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