This article was originally published on Malawi24 ">Malawi24, Malawi's #1 independent news platform. Nearly 600 people have been confirmed dead and over 2000 still missing in Nepal floods Read the full article and more Malawi news at Nepal flood death toll jumps to 579, nearly 2,000 missing ">Malawi24 — Breaking news, politics, business, sport and entertainment from Malawi and Africa, updated 24/7.
Families are digging through mountains of mud and debris with their bare hands, desperately searching for loved ones swallowed by one of Nepal’s deadliest disasters.
The death toll from catastrophic floods in Nepal has risen to at least 579, with nearly 2,000 people still missing after a glacier collapse unleashed a massive torrent of water, ice, rocks and mud through Himalayan communities.
Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said on Friday that 1,924 people were still missing, dramatically raising fears that the death toll from Wednesday’s disaster could climb further.
Among those missing are 517 foreigners and 933 workers linked to hydropower projects along rivers devastated by the flood.
The disaster began Wednesday morning when a glacier collapsed in the Himalayas, sending rock, ice and debris crashing into river systems before a powerful wall of water swept downstream.
Entire settlements were overwhelmed as the flood destroyed homes, roads, bridges and power infrastructure.
The United States Geological Survey said seismic activity initially detected around the time of the disaster was associated with the glacier collapse and subsequent debris flow rather than an earthquake triggering the catastrophe.
Scores of people dead
Rescue teams have continued searching through thick mud and wreckage while helicopters have been deployed to evacuate survivors from areas cut off after roads and bridges were destroyed.
The disaster has also struck neighbouring Tibet, where Chinese authorities reported seven deaths by late Friday. Hundreds more people were reported missing on the Chinese side of the border.
The combined death toll therefore stood at at least 586 by Friday, although casualty figures have been changing rapidly as rescuers reach previously inaccessible areas.
Foreign tourists, trekkers and pilgrims are among those missing.
Authorities said the missing in Nepal include citizens from dozens of countries. Britons, Americans, Australians, Indians, Chinese and other foreign nationals have been reported among those whose whereabouts remain unknown.
The disaster struck an area used by travellers moving between Nepal and Tibet and by pilgrims heading towards Mount Kailash.
Rescuers reaching the devastated Gyirong border crossing found widespread destruction. The important Nepal-China crossing was virtually obliterated by the torrent.
EU joins the support mission
More than 90,000 people are estimated to have been affected by the disaster.
Authorities have also remained alert to the possibility of further flooding after the catastrophe created new lakes and blocked waterways with enormous quantities of debris.
Rescue operations were temporarily suspended in some areas on Friday because of fears that accumulated water could suddenly break through debris barriers and send another surge downstream.
People living along vulnerable riverbanks were told to move to higher ground.
The European Union has announced €2 million in emergency assistance for people affected by the disaster.
Search and rescue operations are continuing, with authorities warning that casualty figures remain provisional as hundreds of people remain unaccounted for.
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