Technology and Science28 August, 20262 min read
Nepal Flash Floods Kill 579, China Says Seven Die in Tibet as Rescues Continue
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Nepal-Tibet floods killed 579 in Nepal and 7 in China. Missing totals near 3,000 across Nepal and Tibet as searches continue.
Floods, bodies, and drones
Catastrophic flash floods along the Nepal–China border killed at least 579 people in Nepal, while China said seven people died in Tibet, as rescue efforts continued with fears of new flooding. Nepali foreign minister Shisir Khanal asked for foreign support to help provide freezers to preserve the bodies of flooding victims, saying "hundreds of bodies have been found downstream" and warning of "a risk of fast decomposition".
A BBC report also described how Nepal’s disaster response agency warned people against flying drones in the flood-hit area, saying unauthorised drones were "posing serious safety risks" to rescue helicopters and hindering search operations. In Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, families gathered outside the main government hospital and searched lists of missing people, while officials said DNA samples would be collected and identifying marks recorded for bodies that could not be easily identified.
China, India, and tunnel rescue
Top diplomats of China and Nepal pledged to strengthen emergency response and relief cooperation as devastating cross-border flash floods left at least 633 dead and thousands missing. Nepalese Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal said he held a telephone conversation with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, during which the two expressed "profound grief" over the loss of lives and devastation.
At the request of the Nepalese government, China’s Ministry of Emergency Management urgently dispatched five Chinese tunnel experts to Nepal, and an additional four Chinese tunnel experts were also dispatched to provide full support for tunnel rescue efforts. India’s External Affairs Ministry said six forensic expert teams from India are expected to reach Kathmandu to help analyze DNA samples, while a specialized tunnel rescue team from India and equipment were expected to reach Nepal to support tunnel rescue operations.
Missing lists and long-term help
As rescue operations resumed, the combined toll in Nepal and Tibet rose to 633 dead and nearly 3,000 people missing, while Chinese authorities reported seven deaths and more than 550 missing.
ABC 10News described families waiting at relief centers and outside the main government hospital in Kathmandu, including Dil Maya Lama searching for her missing 26-year-old brother and Gajendra Rawat saying families had so far registered around 1,600 missing persons.
The Guardian reported that Nepal’s foreign minister said the country needs specialised and technical help from other countries for a tunnel rescue and for identifying and storing bodies, and it quoted Shisir Khanal saying "We have already made requests for such specialised services".
NBC News reported that the U.S. State Department said 90 Americans were unaccounted for in Nepal and China, while Nepal and China’s authorities continued to update missing figures as communications and access remained disrupted.