Thirty-two Canadian citizens and permanent residents are among the nearly 2,000 individuals missing following the devastating flash flood along the Himalayan border between Nepal and Tibet, as confirmed by Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand on Friday. Anand stated during a press briefing that a total of 579 bodies had been found in the affected area, with 1,924 people still unaccounted for, including 517 foreign nationals. No Canadian citizens have been reported deceased in the incident.
Anand emphasized the dire humanitarian crisis in Nepal due to the catastrophic damage caused by the flash flood. In response, Canada has pledged $5 million to assist in emergency relief efforts in Nepal.
Rescue operations are actively ongoing, with teams working tirelessly to clear mud and debris in the devastated regions to locate the missing individuals. Both Nepalese and Chinese authorities have issued warnings about the potential for additional flooding from a newly formed lake upstream, urging residents in at-risk areas to relocate to safer locations.
According to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, 3,742 people have been successfully rescued thus far. Among the missing are tourists from various countries. Nepalese army spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Raja Ram Basnet mentioned that a specialized team was dispatched to the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project near the Nepal-China border to rescue individuals reportedly trapped inside a tunnel buried under mud.
The rescue efforts have been arduous, with challenges accessing severely impacted communities. Oxfam’s humanitarian lead in Nepal, Santosh Pandey, described the situation as chaotic, with entire villages and essential infrastructure swept away, including hospitals and health facilities.
As families anxiously await news of their missing loved ones, hospitals have been inundated with relatives searching for information and identifying recovered bodies. Nirmala Sapkota Koholi, seeking her younger brother Pradip Kumar Sapkota, shared her heart-wrenching experience of searching through images of victims in hospitals, hoping to find him alive.
Red Cross officials expressed concerns about a potential secondary flood and noted disruptions in rescue operations due to further flooding. Despite assistance offers from multiple countries, Nepal’s Foreign Ministry asserted its ability to manage current rescue operations effectively.
The affected areas, known for hiking and religious pilgrimages, have seen an outpouring of support for those impacted by the disaster. Survivors like customs officer Karbir Gaire recounted harrowing experiences during the calamity, emphasizing the urgency of the situation and the need for continued relief efforts.
Overall, the catastrophic flash flood has left a trail of devastation in its wake, underscoring the urgent need for international collaboration and support in the ongoing rescue and relief operations.
