Nepal has intensified rescue and relief operations after devastating flash floods swept through parts of the country and neighboring Tibet, leaving hundreds dead and more than 1,300 people missing.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah said 13,295 security personnel have been mobilized for search and rescue operations, including 4,200 Nepal Army personnel, 7,250 police officers and 1,845 members of the Armed Police Force. More than 570 people have been rescued through air operations as authorities work to reach communities cut off by damaged roads and bridges.Â
The floods and landslides have caused extensive destruction across mountainous areas, sweeping away homes, roads and bridges and disrupting access to several affected communities. Rescue teams are using helicopters to evacuate survivors and deliver food, medicine and other emergency supplies.
The disaster has also left hundreds of foreign nationals unaccounted for. Nepal’s Tourism Board reported 517 foreign nationals among those out of contact, with Indian nationals forming the largest group at 178, followed by 65 Americans, 53 Ukrainians, 51 Malaysians, 35 Australians, 33 Britons and 25 Canadians.Â
Authorities are also monitoring the risk of further flooding from a lake formed upstream following the event. Rescue operations remain challenging because of extensive damage to infrastructure and difficult terrain.
Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has established an emergency response team to coordinate search, rescue, information verification and consular assistance for foreign nationals affected by the floods.
