Rescuers Scour Remote Floods-hit Nepal-China Borders Areas, As Survivors Describe Families Swept Away
Emergency workers and helicopters scoured steep Himalayan valleys on Thursday in a desperate search for survivors after a torrent of water, mud, and ice killed hundreds as it swept through a remote river valley that runs through Nepal and China’s Tibet, according to television reports.
Stunned witnesses described a torrent of debris and water carrying away villages in minutes, according to television reports. More than 1,000 people were still missing on Thursday, authorities said.
The United Nations reported immediate humanitarian needs are huge in Nepal’s Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading districts, with communities facing immense challenges as they cope with loss, displacement, and disruption to essential services.
“The United Nations is mobilizing supplies and humanitarian teams and we pledge to support national efforts to deliver emergency aid and support,” said Secretary-General António Guterres at UN Headquarters in New York.
The flash floods have swept away or cut off entire communities, damaging roads, bridges, hydropower facilities, water systems, and telecommunications networks. This has made affected areas largely inaccessible and hampered the delivery of life-saving aid, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
At least 17,000 children have been impacted by the floods in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading districts.
"Children across Rasuwa and Dhading saw their lives being literally washed away in front of their eyes in a very short span of time, with homes, classrooms, and medical facilities damaged,” said Alice Akunga, UNICEF Representative to Nepal.
UNICEF is on the ground and scaling up support but urgently needs more resources to reach every child in need.
UN agencies are also deployed to affected areas with food, medical supplies, and relief materials in support of the government-led response.
In China, around 560 people remain missing, while the UN country office reported significant damage and numbers of casualties and destruction in the Tibet autonomous region.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has dispatched an interagency emergency health kit containing medicines and supplies sufficient to provide basic health services for up to 10,000 people, in support of authorities and the wider response.
