Search and Rescue Operations Continue After Deadly Floods in Nepal
According to the Nepalese army, 119 people have been rescued following floods that claimed the lives of over a thousand people and left thousands missing.
Nearly a week after devastating floods struck Nepal and neighboring Tibet, causing over a thousand deaths and leaving thousands missing, military officials reported that 119 people were rescued alive with the help of aircraft.
Details of Rescue Operations
A spokesperson for the Nepalese army announced that a total of 119 people, including a foreign national, were evacuated by air as a result of operations carried out in the disaster zone. It was stated that 118 of the rescued individuals were Nepalese citizens, 44 of whom were women and 74 were men.
British citizen Alastair Chambers later stated in a press statement that he was not rescued, but rather went to the region to support relief efforts. The UK Foreign Office is continuing its investigations into the matter.
Missing Persons Search and Hydropower Tunnels
Among those reported missing are more than 600 workers believed to be trapped in mud-filled tunnels at hydroelectric power plant sites on the Trishuli River. Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah announced that 279 people have been rescued from these sites.
Lord Wood of Anfield, a UK Foreign Office official, noted that the situation of 36 British citizens in the region who have not yet been reached is being investigated, and this number is higher than previously reported.
International Support and Teams
While an international team composed of Chinese and Nepalese military personnel coordinates search and rescue operations, experts from India, Korea, and Australia are also actively participating in the efforts. The Nepal Tourism Board reported that a total of 330 foreign nationals have been transferred to safe zones.
A rapid deployment team dispatched by the UK has arrived in Nepal and begun coordinating with local authorities and the embassy to provide support to British citizens and their families. The UK government pledged five million pounds in financial aid following the disaster.
Cause of the Disaster and Seismic Data
Although the disaster that struck the Rasuwa district north of the capital Kathmandu early Wednesday was initially thought to have been caused by an earthquake, the US Geological Survey announced that the seismic energy originated from a landslide.
Additional analyses revealed that a 5.2 magnitude seismic event near the border at 08:37 local time on Wednesday was triggered by a glacier collapse and debris flow.