Rescuers in Nepal have continued searching today for survivors of devastating flash floods and mudslides after the collapse of a mountainside and glacier near the border with Tibet, as the death toll in Nepal and China surpassed 1,000, according to authorities.
Five days after torrents of water, mud and debris swept through valleys in the Himalayan region, thousands of people remained missing and families clung to hopes that their relatives could still be found alive.
The rescue effort received a boost over the weekend when a six-year-old girl was pulled alive from mud-covered rubble, raising hopes that some of the nearly 4,000 people still listed as missing could survive.
But heavy monsoon rains caused the Trishuli River to surge again on Monday, adding to the risks facing search teams and hampering efforts to reach areas devastated by the floods.
Samarth Srivastav was among those waiting for news of a missing family member. His father, Vivek, was near the Nepal-Tibet border when the disaster struck.
“We’re just trying to hope for good news now,” Samarth told CBS News.
During their last phone call, Vivek joked about the steep walls of the river valley around him, saying, “You know, if I fall down there, like, I’ll get swept away.”
Hours later, a torrent of glacial ice, water and mud swept through the area, destroying a Tibet immigration checkpoint on the border. Vivek has not been heard from since.
“Initially after hearing about it, you know, it was kind of like, okay, you know, maybe by the end of the day, you know? Might hear something back. And then the next day came and we didn’t hear anything all day. And then more and more,” he said. “As the number of missing people on record started to increase and, like, the severity of the situation actually started to hit, you know — we’re seeing all these videos pop up on social media of people recording the disaster and everything that actually happened — I think that’s when we actually started to get worried and realize that something might actually be wrong. This is actually a really bad situation.”
Since then, Samarth said his family had experienced “increasing anxiety”.
“We still have the hope that he’s probably okay — he’s able to come back, he’s probably doing fine out there,” he said. “But, it’s the fact we don’t know anything yet, is just so scary to us.”
The floodwaters and debris travelled as far as 150 miles (240 km) into neighbouring India, according to the report.
In Kathmandu, Nepal’s largest hospital has displayed photographs of recovered bodies on walls outside the facility, while another nearby wall was being filled with additional images.
Families of missing people have been examining photographs of recovered bodies in the hope of identifying relatives.
In the United States, Samarth said his family was struggling with the lack of information from authorities.
“Honestly, I haven’t really heard as much from the U.S. government,” he said. “There’s not really much else we can do except just, like, sit and pray.”
Other U.S. families with relatives missing after the disaster have called for greater assistance from U.S., Chinese and Nepalese authorities.
One Virginia family said conflicting reports about survivors had caused a rollercoaster of emotions. While some relatives had lost hope that a husband and wife last believed to be in Tibet could still be alive, others were waiting for official confirmation.
Chinese authorities have so far not confirmed whether any foreign tourists survived the disaster in Tibet.
The floods have highlighted the risks posed by unstable Himalayan terrain and extreme weather as rescue teams continue to search through damaged areas.
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Mohd Hassan has extensive experience in news gathering, editing, and writing for the newswire industry, Contact – Info@impactnews-wire.com
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