Nepal floods highlights: Nearly 400 dead, over 1,400 missing

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The number of Australians reported missing after the devastating Nepal floods has risen from 35 to 39, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said. The government is also providing A$5 million in aid for affected communities.

Wong said Australia will send three humanitarian response specialists within 48 hours to support teams already working on the ground.

CGTN reported that Chinese rescue teams captured footage of a barrier lake forming near the Nepal-China border, with water building up behind rocks and debris. Chinese authorities warned that forecast rainfall could further increase the risk of the lake breaching.

Reuters reported that some Nepali rescuers, including Pawan Koirala and his team of 13, moved to higher ground after the warning.

Nepal and China have warned of a renewed flood threat as two lakes formed by debris and glacial activity near their border continue to raise concerns. Nepal’s disaster authority said a lake created by a river blockage was rising and could burst, urging residents, rescuers and others to stay away from riverbanks and vulnerable areas.

China has separately warned that around 3 million cubic metres of water could enter a dammed lake over the next three days, increasing the risk of a breach.

A group of pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh, including Visakhapatnam DLDA Chairman Gadu Venkatappa, survived the devastating floods in Nepal after a delay in their China visa processing kept them in Kathmandu.

The group later saw a dam collapse around 80 km from their destination. The driver quickly moved their vehicle to safety before floodwaters swept across the route, PTI reported.

According to BBC, Leena Bector from Slough has been identified as one of the 33 British nationals still missing after the devastating flash floods in Nepal.

Fishtail Tours and Travels said Bector was among 27 people linked to the company who remain unaccounted for. Her husband told The Times he plans to travel to Nepal to be there when she is found.

Several countries and international organisations are stepping up relief efforts after the deadly flash floods near the Nepal-Tibet border. India has sent 10 metric tons of essential supplies, while the US is providing $500,000 in emergency funds and deploying a disaster response adviser.

The UK has pledged £5 million, China has arranged emergency supplies and financial aid, and the EU has offered further assistance. The Red Cross has also launched a $31 million emergency appeal after releasing $1.25 million for immediate relief.

According to PTI, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde spoke with state presidents who are stranded in Nepal following the catastrophic flash floods that struck the country on August 26.

Shinde reached out to check on their situation as rescue and relief efforts continue amid the worsening impact of the disaster.

David Fisher, head of the Red Cross delegation in Nepal, says warnings of another potential flood have left volunteers and local communities deeply concerned.

Speaking to the BBC, Fisher said relief teams are moving supplies cautiously from Kathmandu, with the threat of further flooding creating additional risks for people still in vulnerable areas.

About 90 US citizens remained unaccounted for in Nepal on Thursday, according to officials, with many believed to have been travelling to Mount Kailash in Tibet on pilgrimage.

Among those missing is 45-year-old Venus Rajnikant Patel, an Indian-born US citizen. His friend Jolene Gosha told the Associated Press that friends are hoping he managed to escape the hotel where he was staying as floodwaters swept through the border area.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs says 290 Indian citizens remain uncontactable following the devastating floods in Nepal.

The figure appears to include workers as well as tourists. The ministry says 84 Indians have been rescued so far - 63 workers from the Trishuli-I hydropower project and 21 people from Tamil Nadu.

The devastation in Nepal is raising concerns for India as Himalayan rivers including the Gandaki, Kosi and Bagmati flow downstream into Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Bihar is particularly vulnerable to flooding, with much of the water feeding its northern rivers originating outside the state. Experts warn that debris and sediment carried downstream could raise riverbeds and put embankments at greater risk.

Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority says the glacial collapse occurred on Langtang Lirung mountain, on the Nepali side of the border. Nepal’s Department of Meteorology and Hydrology has also confirmed the finding.

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) independently found that the collapse happened on the Nepali side. Officials say ice, rocks and debris blocked the Lhende River before the temporary dam broke, sending a destructive flood downstream.

According to PTI, the Rajasthan government has temporarily suspended its Senior Citizen Pilgrimage Scheme’s Kathmandu journey until August 31 following the devastating floods in Nepal.

Devasthan Minister Joraram Kumawat said the move was taken over concerns about the safety of elderly pilgrims amid damaged infrastructure. He added that the pilgrimage will resume with a revised schedule once conditions improve.

Nepal’s Tourism Board says 667 people are missing after the flash floods near the Nepal-Tibet border. The figure includes 540 foreign nationals from 31 countries and 127 Nepalese citizens. Indians account for the largest group, with 178 missing.

The board says 31 foreign nationals have been rescued, while earlier government figures had put the number missing at 910.

Nepal Police says 389 people have been confirmed dead following the devastating flash floods, while 466 people have been reported injured and rescued.

According to the latest police update, Chitwan recorded the highest number of recovered bodies at 137, followed by Nawalparasi East with 87 and Dhading with 33. Rasuwa recorded 289 of the 466 injured and rescued people.

Nepal floods LIVE updates: The Red Cross launched an emergency appeal for $31 million Thursday to respond to the devastating flash floods and landslides that struck the Nepal-Tibet border.

The Switzerland-based International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) launched the appeal for 25 million Swiss francs the day after releasing one million francs to support the immediate lifesaving response.

The appeal is to cover emergency disaster response followed by supporting the medium and long-term recovery, over the next two years.

"While we are getting a clearer picture of the scale of devastation, we know that entire villages were washed away and needs will grow in the coming hours and days," IFRC secretary general Jagan Chapagain said in a statement.

"Communities that have lost homes and livelihoods will need sustained support as they recover and rebuild."

via AFP

Nepal floods LIVE updates:The Delhi government is currently gathering information about city residents who travelled to flash flood-affected areas in Nepal and beyond.

A group of 25 individuals who visited Mansarovar before the natural disaster has returned, officials informed on Thursday.

At least 290 Indians remain missing, and around 200 others are stranded on the Chinese side following devastating flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border, with New Delhi in constant contact with authorities in both nations to coordinate their rescue, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

Officials are collecting information about other residents who went on personal trips to affected regions.

via PTI

Nepal floods LIVE updates: Rescue teams waded through mud on Thursday searching for more than 1,400 people missing after flash floods and landslides struck the Nepal-Tibet border, as the death toll rose again to 392, with entire villages swept away.

Experts warned of the risk of further floods a day after the devastating tsunami-like wall of freezing water and mud wiped out towns under a torrent of sludge, engulfing homes, smashing bridges and dams, and sweeping vehicles away like toys.

Many of the missing are foreign tourists, including trekkers in the Himalayan nation, as well as scores of Hindu pilgrims to Tibet's sacred snow-capped Mount Kailash.

via AFP

Nepal floods LIVE updates: Official Account of Nepal Embassy, New Delhi posted on X, "In view of the recent flash floods in Rasuwa district, which has resulted in massive loss of life, damage to infrastructure, and reports of missing persons including foreign nationals, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Government of Nepal, has established an Emergency Response Team (ERT) with immediate effect."

"The ERT shall serve as the central coordinating body within the Ministry to facilitate search, rescue, information verification and consular assistance in respect of foreign nationals affected by, missing in, or otherwise connected to the flood incident," it added.

Nepal floods LIVE updates: Here is a list of Indians rescued from the Trishuli-1 Project:

1. Suresh Singh Rajput

2. Sumit Kumar Khare

3. Mukesh Kumar

4. Sachin Kumar

5. Jashmant Singh

6. Chandan Tiwari

7. Devan Kumar Shah

8. Amrendra Kumar Yadav

9. Om Prakash Yadav

10. Sampat Kumar

11. Neeraj Kumar Thakur

12. Jay Hansda

13. Sunil Kumar Singh

14. Upendra Barnmal

15. Rahul Kumar Gupta

16. Neeraj Kumar Patel

17. Sanover Alam

18. Upendra Bhasin

19. Yogesh Kumar

20. Md Akram Alam

21. Md Inzamamul Haque

22. Abhishek Kumar

23. Abhishek Yadav

24. Mangal Singh

25. Pankaj Kumar Shah

26. Nilesh Kumar

27. Ashutosh Mankopadhyay

28. Lakshman Tiwari

29. Ganguli Patel

30. Indrajeet Kumar

31. Gyan Singh

32. Jay Krishna

33. Nagesh Tallur

34. Shahrukh

35. Nipindra Mandal

36. Saddam Hussain

37. Raj Kumar Tiwari

38. Alok Kumar Shah

39. Arun Kumar Shah

40. Satyendra Kumar Singh

41. Bittu Kumar

42. Adi Abed Basumatary

43. KK Pandey

44. Abhishek Tiwari

45. Akash

46. Pradeep

47. Ranjan Kumar

48. Pavan Lodhi

49. Anil

50. Vijay Prasad

51. Narayan Bahadur

52. Janmejay Singh

53. Sunil Giri

54. Roshan Kumar

55. Vishamer Singh

56. Suhail Mustafa

57. Nilesh

58. Pramod Gupta

59. Jitendar Ram

60. Nitesh Kumar Singh

61. Nijauadin

62. Kavi Kumar

63. Rohit Verma

On the flood situation in Nepal, Congress leader T. S. Singh Deo told news agency ANI "A very distressing situation has developed there... We were unable to locate a woman—a family acquaintance who had arrived from England—until yesterday, despite our efforts. There are many others—around 300 to 400 people—whose whereabouts and condition remain unknown. We are all concerned and hope that relief reaches them as soon as possible."

"Naturally, in such situations, a country extends a helping hand, and we all wish to contribute and assist the citizens of Nepal... All initiatives must be coordinated with that nation's government—you cannot simply send your own helicopters or relief supplies unilaterally. It has to be done through the Government of Nepal, so the governments are certainly in communication with each other," the leader added.

Nepal floods LIVE updates: The death toll rose to 362 on Thursday, including 359 in Nepal and three in Tibet, according to news agency PTI.

Nepal floods LIVE updates: The number of Gujarat-linked persons reported missing following devastating flash floods in Nepal has risen to 17, the authorities said on Thursday, as the state government stepped up coordination with the Centre to assist those stranded.

The updated list released by the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) added six more persons to the earlier list of 11 missing or untraceable persons.

These 17 include persons linked to Ahmedabad, Anand, Rajkot, Valsad, Surat, Kheda, Amreli, Gandhinagar and Vadodara, with several of them being foreign citizens of Indian origin, an official statement said.

As per the SEOC list, four of them are from Gandhinagar, three each from Surat and Kheda, two persons each from Vadodara and Anand, one each from Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Amreli.

The list includes citizens of the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand who are originally from Gujarat.

Several of those on the list were travelling on the Kailash Mansarovar route through Nepal, while others were last known to be near the Friendship Bridge and the Rasuwagadhi-Kerung border or in the Bagmati region near the Friendship Bridge, the statement said.

via PTI

Nepal floods LIVE updates: A former IAS officer Shiva Prasad is stranded in flood-hit Nepal in Baga Township near Mount Kailash. “About 34 of us started our Kailash Mansarovar Yatra on August 23 and reached here via Kathmandu and Lhasa. On the day of the unfortunate incident, we were in Lhasa. From Lhasa, right now we are in a place called Darchen, which is at the foothills of Mount Kailash. In the background, in fact, you can see Mount Kailash. Here, there are about 500 Indians; all of them are fine and safe. Of course, some of them are travelling back through different routes. We are going back via Lhasa. So, as far as the other travellers’ plans are concerned, to some extent, they were disrupted. But there is no panic here, and all pilgrims are safe, fine and healthy," Prasad said in a self-made video.