Nepal floods leave hundreds dead, thousands missing: As it happened

Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah has traveled to the Nuwakot district to inspect areas affected by the devastating floods and meet people injured in the disaster. 

The prime minister is assessing the extent of physical damage and meeting local officials, security personnel, and elected representatives to discuss ongoing rescue and relief efforts, rehabilitation, and the restoration of damaged infrastructure, according to local media.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Food Safety of Nepal has designated officers for the main areas of disaster response to strengthen emergency health coordination, medical deployment, and disease surveillance.

The danger has not passed for those in the affected areas of Nepal, the director of the Center for Disaster Studies at Tribhuvan University in Nepal, Basanta Raj Adhikari, told the BBC. He warned of the risk of “second and third waves” on Thursday or Friday.

“There isn’t high rainfall, but [a] landslide might happen,” he said, adding that he continues to discuss the situation with experts in China who are monitoring the situation.

China has warned that a large lake formed by a landslide in Nepal is at risk of breaching, which could pose a danger to the ongoing rescue operations. The lake is overflowing and about 3 million cubic meters of water is expected to enter it over the next three days, China’s Ministry of Water Resources said.

RT India reports from the flood affected areas in Nepal. Local correspondent Darshan Parajuli has witnessed first-hand the destruction of villages and the ongoing rescue efforts in Nuwakot district.

RT India also spoke to Hemraj Aryal, the spokesman for the Nepalese Prime Minister’s Office. According to him, rehabilitation is the major concern for the Nepalese government as people have lost their homes. “The main thing is revitalizing and re-engaging the people in the society.”

Aryal said that while rescue teams have reached most of the sites where people need help, reconnecting the roads will take time as the scale of devastation is huge.

Nearly 100 Chinese nationals remain missing in Nepal, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lin Jian said, adding that the Chinese Embassy is seeking further information on them. He said the two sides are in close communication and coordinating the search and rescue. China has offered assistance to Nepal.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived at Gyirong township in the Xizang autonomous region, where rescue operations are ongoing, on Thursday afternoon. He has been tasked by President Xi Jinping to lead a group of senior officials to supervise the rescue and relief operations.

Nepal and China have stepped up rescue operations as they race against time to save as many people as possible from Wednesday's cataclysmic floods.

More than 300 Indians are among those reported missing, Nepalese Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal told RT India’s Vinayak Dixit. Most were pilgrims to Kailash-Mansarovar in Tibet.

A 77-member group of pilgrims, which include both Indians and foreigners, from the Isha Foundation in the southern Indian city of Coimbatore is missing after they were reportedly caught in the floods at an immigration center. The foundation is a global non-profit led by the religious leader Sadhguru.

More than 70 Indians working for the Trishuli hydropower project are also missing, the Indian Foreign Ministry said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent condolences to Nepalese President Ram Chandra Paudel and Prime Minister Balendra Shah over the casualties caused by flooding on Thursday.

“We share in the grief of the friendly Nepalese people, Putin said in his message. “Please convey my sincere sympathy to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, as well as my wishes for a speedy recovery to all those affected by this natural disaster.”

This is so heart-warming! A 2-year-old is dug out by Nepalese troops and police from the mud. 

Good news like this amid all that destruction and gloom is always so welcome.

The Nepalese government has issued a public appeal for financial contributions to the Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund and the Prime Minister Relief Fund as it seeks funds to provide immediate shelter and protection to affected citizens, their long-term rehabilitation, and reconstruction. 

The country’s embassy in India appealed to all Nepali associations, community organizations, and other individuals to contribute to the two funds. 

Link to the PM Relief Fund here.