Wednesday’s catastrophic flash floods in Nepal and along the border with China have resulted in a staggering death toll exceeding 600, with approximately 3,000 individuals still unaccounted for. Rescue operations, initiated four days ago, are entering their fourth day, with continued challenges due to worsening weather conditions. Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet, a Nepali Army spokesperson, stated Saturday that helicopter operations were on hold until weather conditions improved, citing the risk of further delays and reduced visibility. Basnet emphasized that authorities believe more than 100 people are trapped in a tunnel filled with thick mud at a hydropower construction site in Nepal’s Rasuwa district, a scene captured on video, where rescuers pulled and pushed a man covered in dark brown mud out of the tunnel. He was one of dozens who were likely trapped inside. A helicopter carrying a basket was utilized to reach some people, but the operation was slowed by a 4 to 5 feet of mud and limited landing areas. Nepali and Chinese authorities warned of further risk of flooding from a newly formed lake upstream following the disaster, prompting a temporary relocation of rescue teams and a reassessment of the lake’s overflow potential. More than 3,700 people have been rescued in Nepal so far, according to authorities there, while China’s state media reported 558 people were missing on the Chinese side. Hundreds of the missing are foreigners, including those in the area to work, trek, or make a pilgrimage to a sacred peak on the Tibet side of the border. The Red Cross said that more than 90,000 people had likely been impacted by the flooding, which is believed to have been triggered by the collapse of a rocky ledge and the vast portion of a glacier it had supported. Scientists indicated that satellite images revealed that bedrock underneath a glacier high in the Himalayan region had collapsed, taking part of the glacier with it. The rockfall was so extreme that it registered as a magnitude 5.2 seismic event. The rocks and melted water suddenly swelled the rivers in the valleys below, causing torrents of water that swept buildings, bridges, and earth downstream in Tibet and Nepal. Scientists were still piecing together information from satellite and ground-level data to confirm exactly what caused the flood, but Jakob Steiner, a geoscientist at the University of Graz in Austria, stated that a lower part of a glacier has really come off. The Hindu Kush Himalayan region is warming rapidly, driving major changes in glaciers, snow cover, permafrost and mountain slopes, according to climate scientists. Approximately 78% of the glacier area, located between about 14,760 and 19,685 feet above sea level, is highly exposed to warming. Steiner said "What happened yesterday is unfortunately the new normal. It’s going to get worse from here onwards," Five Americans have made their way to safety, and around 90 are among those unaccounted for, the U.S. State Department said Friday. In a statement, the U.S. Embassy in Nepal said the U.S. was “delivering a range of supplies requested by the Government of Nepal and is working with Nepal to ensure that assistance reaches the people who need it.” Catholic Relief Services, working through implementing partner Caritas Nepal, will deliver more than 2.5 metric tons of food supplies, 500 blankets, 500 mosquito nets, and 500 insulating foam sheets for temporary shelter flooring to two school locations in Rasuwa, with plans for subsequent supply shipments already in place. 22 people from the U.S. were among the 80 who went missing from a pilgrimage run by the Isha Foundation, a volunteer-run group that promotes well-being founded by Indian spiritual leader Sadhguru Vasudev. She was crossing from China into Nepal when the flood hit. The foundation told her she was part of a group that was present at the Gyirong Port immigration complex. President Trump called the flooding terrible to see on Thursday, saying "strong, well-built buildings were wiped out like they were toothpicks." He told reporters in the Oval Office that U.S. officials had spoken with Nepalese leaders and offered to provide "anything they want."”}”}”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””
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Source: CBS News
