KATHMANDU: The death toll from devastating floods and landslides in Nepal has surpassed 1,000, as rescue teams use heavy machinery, helicopters and excavators to reach thousands of people still missing, according to foreign media reports.
Special rescue teams from China, India and Nepal have built temporary bridges to access remote areas and are using excavators to rescue about 300 workers trapped inside tunnels.
The disaster struck Aug. 26 after a massive surge of ice, rocks and mud caused by a glacial collapse devastated areas along the Nepal-China border.
According to Nepal’s Disaster Management Authority, at least 639 people remain trapped at damaged hydropower facilities. Officials said the death toll has risen to 1,050, while about 4,000 people remain missing, including 583 foreign nationals.
UNDP preliminary estimates indicate that the disaster has generated at least 2.2 million tons of debris, including wreckage from buildings, rocks and soil.
Rescue and recovery operations are continuing as authorities work to reach isolated communities and locate those still missing.
More read, Nepal-China border floods kill 919, leave nearly 4,800 missing
Earlier, the death toll from devastating flash floods along the Nepal-China border has risen to 919, with nearly 4,800 people still missing nearly a week after the disaster, authorities said Monday.
Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 903 people had died on the Nepalese side of the border. Chinese state media reported 16 deaths in Gyirong County in the Xizang Autonomous Region, bringing the combined toll to 919.
A total of 4,793 people remain missing, including 853 foreign nationals, according to authorities.
