The Red Cross has said at least 93,000 people may have been affected by Wednesday’s flash floods on the Nepal-Tibet border, which have killed nearly 600 people, left another 1,900 missing, and triggered a huge rescue operation that is being hampered by fears of new flooding. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the world’s largest humanitarian network, said it feared the death toll would continue to rise as some of the hardest-hit areas remained inaccessible after roads and bridges were destroyed by the torrents. “The…
Tag: China
On the ground in Nepal after deadly flash floods – video
South Asia correspondent Hannah Ellis‑Petersen is on the ground in Bidur, one of the most devastated towns in Nepal, after the deadly flash floods that struck on Wednesday morning. Most homes were completely washed away when a tide of mud, rocks and debris flooded the river valley. Those who survived describe clinging on to buildings and trees as the water rushed over them The Guardian
Chinese control of information hampers assessment of Tibet flood damage
In the days since an enormous glacier in the Himalayas snapped away from a mountaintop and cascaded into the valley below, the true scale of the devastation caused by the flash floods in Nepal and Tibet is still unfolding. But the picture is emerging far more quickly in Nepal than in China, where strict controls on the flow of information from one of its most sensitive regions are hampering the public’s understanding of events. The floods devastated villages along the Himalayan border region that straddles Nepal and the Chinese region…
Families of 33 missing Britons rush to Nepal as fears grow of more floods
Families are rushing to Nepal to search for the 33 British nationals who are still missing, as fears mount over the risk of a second wave of flooding in the region. The catastrophic flash floods that hit Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday, thundering down valleys and sweeping away entire villages, have killed at least 538 people, while more than 1,500 remain missing. Among them are hundreds of foreign tourists who were visiting the mountainous region, which is popular with trekkers and pilgrims for its natural beauty and religious significance. Relatives…
Survivors pulled from mud in Nepal after deadly flash floods – video
Rescue workers have been searching through mud and debris for survivors of Wednesday’s deadly flash floods on the Nepal-Tibet border. Operations in the worst affected area in Tibet were briefly halted after a lake formed by debris began overflowing. Residents in Nepal’s Rasuwa district were seen rushing up hillsides on Friday to escape a possible new surge The Guardian
Disaster Experts Say Nepal Glacier Collapse Was Difficult to Predict
It was a wall of water and mud traveling at such speed that it engulfed buildings in seconds. In the wake of the Nepal flood disaster, questions were being asked about whether the deadly torrent could have been predicted or detected quicker to give communities downstream more time to evacuate. Geologists say they believe the flash floods in Nepal and Tibet were set off by a dual high-altitude landslide and glacial avalanche that unleashed huge volumes of water. Disaster experts say such events are difficult to forecast. Most monitoring and…
Nepal-Tibet flood: this is the cost of not acting in the face of the climate crisis | Sunil Acharya
As a Nepali citizen working on international climate policy for more than a decade, it is difficult to look at the harrowing images coming out of the catastrophic flash flood that thundered down valleys in Nepal, sweeping down the Lhende Khola, Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers, and not feel angry. Not just because of the destruction, but because it comes after years of warnings from scientists and civil society that a rapidly warming planet would make disasters more frequent, more intense and harder to predict. This is what the cost of…
Which countries have citizens killed or missing after Nepal-Tibet flash flood?
Hundreds of foreigners were in area to work, take guided treks or make pilgrimages when disaster struck Nepal-Tibet flash flood – latest updates Flash floods at the Nepal-Tibet border have killed at least 543 people and more than 1,500 are missing. Hundreds were foreigners in the area to work, take guided treks or make pilgrimages. Thousands have been rescued, with some of the injured taken to hospitals in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. The number of missing may vary because of progress in the ongoing rescue efforts and differences in how data…
Flood risk forces halt to rescues in Tibet, as Nepal death toll rises to 469
A lake formed by a landslide on the Nepal-Tibet border has started to overflow, putting at risk areas devastated by a flash flood two days ago and forcing a temporary halt to rescue efforts, authorities in China and Nepal have said. Residents in Nepal’s Rasuwa district, on the border with Tibet, were seen rushing up hillsides to escape any surge in the river level, according to a witnesses. Authorities in Nepal have stopped rescue operations for at least 90 minutes, an army officer said. The risk of the lake bursting…
Nepal-Tibet flash flood live updates: death toll rises to 469, police say; debris-clogged river at risk of flooding again
From 28m ago Nepal death toll rises to 469, police say Nepal police have said that the death toll from Wednesday’s flash flood now stands at 469. It’s a jump of 80 since the last reported update, and comes as search teams continue recovery efforts across the disaster-struck area. More than 1,300 remain missing, including hundreds of tourists from India, the US, Britain, Australia and Canada. Efforts to locate those unaccounted for have been complicated by the destruction of dozens of bridges and 40km (25 miles) of roads in the…