KATHMANDU – The number of people missing in the catastrophic flood that sliced through the border area between Nepal and Tibet exceeded 3 000 yesterday, as rescuers searched for survivors. Here are the latest developments after the tsunami-like disaster that struck the Himalayan region on Wednesday:
**Toll climbs **
Figures from Nepal and from Chinese authorities in charge of Tibet put the total number of missing at just over 3 000, with 750 bodies recovered.
Nepal says there are 2 498 people, including hundreds of foreigners, who are out of contact in the country. It reported an updated death toll of 734 people yesterday.
Tibet, an autonomous region of China, was largely inaccessible to foreign journalists, preventing independent reporting on the scale of the disaster in an area which has multiple villages.
China’s state broadcaster
CCTV said yesterday that 546 people were missing and 16 people had been killed. Of those missing, 261 were foreign nationals, it said.
**100 trapped in tunnels **
More than 100 workers are believed to be trapped inside multiple hydropower tunnels.
The Nepali army inserted a pipe into one of the tunnels at the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric site late on Saturday and started sending air through it, Minister Sudan Gurung said. But overnight rain and rising river waters hampered rescue efforts at that site, and Nepal’s disaster authorities urged rescue teams yesterday to exercise caution.
Those trapped were among 933 missing workers from hydropower proj e c ts on the rivers where the torrent of icy debris swept down. India, which has extensive experience in such rescues, has sent an 11-person specialised team. China has also sent a nine-person tunnel team to help.
**Climate change **
While the exact cause of the collapse is unclear, Nepal’s foreign minister warned on Saturday of the growing threat from climate change in the Himalayas.
The US Geological Survey said the disaster on Wednesday near the high-altitude China- Nepal border was caused by a glacial collapse that sent a torrent of debris downstream.
China’s state news agency Xinhua reported yesterday that experts had said “a glacier on the southern slope of Lirung Peak in Nepal” fractured, triggering an ice-rock avalanche. “The sudden glacial collapse and flash flood is a devastating reminder of how fragile these mountain environments can be,” UN climate chief Simon Steill said in a statement.
**Aid offers **
As many as 93 000 people in Nepal are potentially affected by the disaster, according to the Red Cross. Nepal appealed on Saturday for international financial assistance, as well as specialised rescue support, including heavy-lift drones, DNA testing kits, and body freezer storage units. The United States and Canada said they would each provide around $3.6 million in humanitarian assistance. The UK has offered US$6.8 million in aid, while the UN released US$2.5 million in emergency funding.
The European Union on Friday promised US$2.3 million and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) allocated more than US$1 million and launched an emergency appeal for US$31 million.
Chinese President Xi Jinping offered Beijing’s help on Friday. Malaysia will send the Malaysian Special Search and Rescue Team (SMART) to assist and will also contribute US$1 million to Nepal to help the recovery efforts and victims.
*– Nampa/AFP *
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