Massive Nepal-China Flood Death Toll Reaches 1,000, Rescuers Still Trying to Reach Survivors
The catastrophic mudslides and flash floods that hit Nepal on 26 August resulted in a death toll of nearly 1,000 people, with roughly 4,000 still missing in both Nepal and Tibet in neighboring China.
The partial collapse of a glacier near Langtang Lirung peak into the valley floor, which borders China and Nepal, may have triggered the landslide and flooding, according to Reuters.
The collapse caused an avalanche of ice, rock, mud, and debris that hurtled into the valley and the Lhende Khola river that runs through the valley, ultimately triggering catastrophic floods further downstream. The flooding altered waterways more than 62 miles downstream from the where the glacier collapsed, including the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river systems, as well as a river in the Galchhi region.
The cause of the glacier’s collapse remains unclear. The U.S. Geological Survey said that while seismic energy was reported from the region, it was due to the collapse of the glacier and not what caused part of the glacier to break off.
Some scientists warn that this tragedy is likely to be seen again.
“There will be more catastrophes of this kind as mountainous regions around the world continue to warm fast, researchers warn,” New Scientist reported. Gunjan Silwal, a PhD candidate specializing in geography research at Newcastle University told New Scientist, “In coming years, we can expect more of these events happening. Maybe this is just a trailer.”
The landslide hit Tibet’s Gyirong port, which opens into Nepal, with video surveillance at the port capturing dramatic and terrible footage of floods and mudflow obliterating immigration buildings. Within the span of a few seconds, cars, buildings, and people trying to flee were erased under a muddy force of water and earth.
Shortly after the flooding began, rescue teams began searching for survivors. Helicopters were used to deliver emergency supplies to thousands of people stranded because several roadways were damaged or impassible.
Rescue teams are relying on excavators, heavy machinery, and helicopters to try to reach thousands of potential survivors listed as among the missing. Nepal’s army deployed more than 9,200 personnel to areas hit by landslides and floods, coordinating search and rescue efforts, as well as assisting in recovery of the dead and helping reopen roads. As of 1 September, rescuers evacuated more than 11,000 people from the impacted areas and restored roadways into Nuwakot, one of the areas hardest hit.
Power and communications lines have been restored in some areas, while others remain without sufficient or any support. According to CNN, Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority reported that several communities in the Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts are dealing with a shortage or complete lack of aid supplies.
“Nearly a week has passed since the flooding began, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is only now able to access hard-hit areas such as Rasuwa district,” the United Nations said in a statement on 1 September.
One of the factors stressing rescue, support, and recovery efforts is that the flooding continues to stress other bodies of water in the area. On 28 August, a barrier dam lake on the Tibetan border burst, which forced a pause on rescue efforts, CNN reported. A new lake—formed across the border of Nepal and China from the incident—posed its own flood risk to the region. The new lake was expected to collect roughly 3 million cubic meters of water (about 1,200 Olympic swimming pools), creating a high risk of a breach, until it was almost entirely drained on 29 August. Weather events, like fog, also paused efforts.
Although Nepal, with a population of roughly 30 million, turned down foreign involvement in general search and rescue efforts, authorities said it welcomed specialized assistance to rescue people trapped in tunnels, restore roadways and communication lines, identify and store bodies, and carry out DNA testing. As of Tuesday, more than $42 million in aid has been funneled into Nepal.
Specialized teams from China, India, and Nepal are focused on rescuing workers trapped inside the tunnels of hydropower projects, with the teams building temporary bridges to reach the remote work sites. South Korea said it plans to send an emergency relief team to the Rasuwa region, where nine of its citizens were working at a hydropower project and are listed as missing. At least 639 people remain trapped within several devastated hydropower stations, Reuters reported. However, nearly 280 people were rescued from areas around hydropower stations, according to ABC News.
In Nuwakot, residents had at least some warning that the fast-moving flood waters were headed for them. Rajendra Dawadi, principal of the Tribhuvan Trishuli School, was alerted by a staff member while Dawadi was teaching a class. He told his 900 students (ages 11 to 18) to run to higher ground, while students who had arrived by bus were put back on the vehicles and the drivers ordered to leave the area immediately. “His swift evacuation plan saved those lives,” according to The New York Times.
About 13 minutes after Dawadi heard the first warning, the school was destroyed in seconds by floodwaters, and at least one teacher remained missing as of Monday.
But the survival of the students and staff of the school is a rarity in the wake of the disaster. Hundreds of bodies have been washed downstream, caught up and tossed in the waters. The district of Chitwan has become a collection site for bodies washed up in the Bhotekoshi River, although the district’s morgues lack the space to accommodate so many dead.
On 29 August, authorities said that some of the bodies recovered were in states that made recognition impossible. While DNA samples are being collected from those recovered, the bodies are being buried in mass graves due to health risks and concerns of disease outbreak. China will also send DNA testing experts and a second round of relief supplies, including drones and water purification equipment.
Along with the rescue team of experts and additional disaster-response personnel, India has also sent roughly 60 tons of relief supplies.
Among the missing are nearly 750 foreigners from 35 nations.
Nepal’s tourism board said that at as of 1 September, 183 of the missing are from India, 165 from Nepal, 64 from the United States, 55 from Malaysia, 54 from Ukraine, and 35 from Australia. Other missing persons hail from Belarus, Belgium, Canada, China, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, The Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam.
