KATHMANDU, NEPAL | Nepal’s confirmed death toll from last week’s catastrophic flash floods has risen to 1,003, with about 4,000 people still missing as rescue teams reach remote mountain communities and hydropower sites nearly a week after the disaster.
The latest figures, reported by Reuters on September 1, came as Nepalese, Indian and Chinese rescue teams used helicopters, heavy machinery, excavators and temporary bridges to reach areas cut off by landslides and destroyed roads. At least 639 people remain stranded at several damaged hydropower stations, while more than 11,000 people have been rescued across the affected region.
The disaster began on August 26 when a glacier collapse near Nepal’s border with China sent a massive surge of ice, rock, mud and water through mountain valleys, devastating settlements and critical infrastructure. Rasuwa district has been among the hardest-hit areas, with rescue operations focusing on workers believed to be trapped inside tunnels at hydropower projects.
Nepal’s Army said more than 9,200 personnel have been deployed for search and rescue, medical assistance, road clearance and the recovery and management of bodies. Road access has been restored to parts of Nuwakot, allowing relief supplies to reach communities that had been isolated. Electricity and communications have also been restored in some affected areas.
The scale of the disaster has prompted a growing international response. China is sending DNA-testing specialists and additional relief supplies, including drones and water-purification equipment, while South Korea plans to deploy a 44-member emergency relief team after nine of its nationals working at a hydropower project were reported missing. Nepal has also received more than $42 million in aid, according to Prime Minister Balendra Shah.
The tragedy has renewed concerns over Nepal’s growing exposure to climate-related disasters in its mountainous terrain. The World Bank has documented the country’s vulnerability to floods, landslides and glacial lake outburst floods, noting that climate change and changing weather patterns are increasing risks in areas where communities and infrastructure are often located along narrow river valleys.
Nepal has experienced other devastating mountain floods in recent years. In June 2021, a major flood in the Melamchi River valley killed people and destroyed homes, bridges and infrastructure after intense rainfall triggered a complex chain of erosion, landslides and possible glacial flooding. The World Bank described the disaster as a warning of the growing risks facing Nepal’s mountain communities.
As rescue teams continue searching through damaged hydropower facilities and isolated valleys, authorities face the difficult task of locating thousands of missing people while providing food, shelter, medical care and basic services to survivors. Prime Minister Shah has called for greater international attention to the risks facing the Himalayan region, linking the growing threat of extreme disasters to a warming climate.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
