Authorities in Nepal have issued warnings of potential new flooding and advised residents in flood-affected areas to stay vigilant as the water levels in the Bhotekoshi River have risen. Flood alerts were sent to people’s mobile phones early on Sunday while rescue teams were clearing a vital highway linking Kathmandu to an area severely impacted by Wednesday’s devastating floods, resulting in the loss of over 800 lives and leaving more than 3,000 individuals unaccounted for in Nepal and Tibet.
The recent alerts were prompted by Chinese authorities notifying Nepalese officials of increased water flow upstream. According to Dharam Raj Uprety, the head of Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported that a newly formed lake following the earlier floods had mostly drained. However, the Chinese Ministry of Water Resources cautioned about a crater 5.6 kilometers upstream holding around 1.4 million cubic meters of water, posing a potential risk that requires continuous monitoring.
Nepal’s disaster agency disclosed that the death toll had reached 788 with 2,502 individuals missing, while Chinese authorities reported 16 fatalities and 546 individuals missing on their side of the border. Among the missing are numerous individuals from various countries who were in the region for work, tourism, or religious purposes. On Sunday, Chinese media stated that 261 foreigners, including over 100 Nepalis and others from diverse nationalities, were unaccounted for in Tibet.
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand announced via social media on Saturday that a previously missing Canadian had been found safe. However, 31 Canadians remain untraceable, with the number subject to change as more information becomes available. Families in Canada are seeking assistance from the government in locating their missing relatives and have urged the sharing of resources like thermal and infrared cameras with Nepalese authorities.
Rescue efforts are ongoing at multiple hydroelectric projects, including a significant operation at the Upper Trishuli complex where approximately 350 individuals are feared trapped inside a tunnel. Around 10,000 Nepali troops are engaged in the tunnel rescue operations alongside specialists from China and India, as confirmed by Uprety of Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.
Residents in the heavily affected region of Dhading have started returning to their damaged homes to salvage belongings. In some areas, homes and businesses remain without electricity due to damaged power lines, while parts of the Prithivi Highway still require repair. The ongoing challenges faced by flood-hit communities include destroyed bridges, limited access to essential services, and the constant threat of further flooding.
The flash floods that occurred on Wednesday were triggered by a glacial collapse in the Himalayan region, leading to a surge of water that swept away buildings and infrastructure downstream in Tibet and Nepal. Nepal’s foreign affairs minister emphasized the urgent need for global action on climate change, highlighting the disproportionate impact the country faces despite its minimal contribution to global emissions. While experts have refrained from directly linking the recent catastrophe to global warming, they underscored the heightened risk of such disasters in the Himalayan region due to rising temperatures caused by human activities.