Nepal's death toll from devastating flash floods along the Nepal-China border has risen to at least 353, with rescue teams continuing to search for more than 1,300 people reported missing, according to the Associated Press, citing Nepalese police.
AP reported that the catastrophic torrent of water and mud, triggered by a glacier collapse, swept through communities a day earlier, destroying homes, bridges and roads. Videos from the affected areas showed residents fleeing as the floodwaters surged through settlements.
The report citing top Nepali officials said that more than 350 people have been killed, while hundreds of others have been displaced across the Himalayan region. The missing include scores of foreigners and pilgrims, officials said.
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The disaster has highlighted the vulnerability of Nepal's steep mountain slopes and valleys, which are increasingly exposed to floods and landslides. Scientists have linked the growing frequency of glacier melt and related hazards to human-caused climate change.
Images from the worst-hit Nuwakot district showed buildings covered in thick mud, vehicles buried under debris and tree branches and power lines tangled with wreckage. Survivors were seen covered in mud after the floodwaters receded.
Nepalese officials said dozens of bridges were destroyed and nearly 40 kilometres of roads damaged, making rescue operations more difficult.
AP citing army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet said that the Nepalese Army has rescued more than 100 people from flood-hit areas using helicopters. Army teams also evacuated people trapped at facilities associated with the Trishuli hydropower project.
Dozens of injured people have been airlifted to Kathmandu for advanced medical treatment, while rescuers have recovered bodies hundreds of kilometres downstream in Chitwan district.
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As the immediate search continues, relief operations are also being scaled up. Bishal Kumar Bhandari, chairman of the Nepal Red Cross Society, said the organisation had shifted its focus towards large-scale relief efforts. Around 1,200 people have been displaced from at least three villages, he said.
The United Nations has also announced emergency assistance. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said on Thursday that $2 million would be released from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund to support medical care, shelter and access to water. He described the floods as horrifying.
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