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Death toll from devastating floods in Nepal surpasses 1,000
Confirmed
The death toll in Nepal from devastating floods on the border with Tibet has crossed 1,000, according to the country's disaster agency. The death toll in Nepal and China passed 1,000 on Tuesday, authorities said, and the fear is that the toll will spiral as recovery efforts continue along the scars carved into the landscape by the raging floods.
After expressing, in a telegram, his deep sorrow over the devastating flooding in Nepal on Wednesday, August 26, Pope Leo XIV has sent concrete financial support, in coordination with the Apostolic Nunciature of Nepal, to meet the most urgent needs of the population affected by the disaster.
The official death toll on the Tibetan side is 16, with 546 reported missing, according to Chinese state media. The Prefect called it "a rapid and concrete sign to convey, especially to the most vulnerable, the closeness and tenderness of the Holy Father, like a caress from the Church that accompanies and supports them." The latest figures put the toll at more than 630 deaths and nearly 3,000 people, including over 500 foreigners, missing in the various affected regions.
The contribution will help Caritas Nepal, which operates under the direction of the Apostolic Vicariate, with the activities already underway since the first hours after the flood, namely providing immediate assistance with food, basic necessities, and shelter for those who have lost everything.
In Georgia, Samarth said he was trying to keep calm, despite a lack of any information from officials in Nepal, or at home in the U.S. "Honestly, I haven't really heard as much from the U.S. government," he said. Once a village, now barren land - BBC in valley devastated by floods Only 4% of the 900 bodies that have been found so far have been identified, a spokesperson from the Ministry of Health told BBC Nepali.
According to Christian leaders in Nepal, increasing Hindu nationalism seeks both to reinforce Nepal’s identity as a Hindu nation and to suppress Christian growth. Rescue operations had been "intensified", Nepalese leader Shah said, noting that the floods were "not an ordinary" event.
At least 11 projects either completed or under construction were damaged in the floods, authorities said. Prime Minister Balendra Shah said 279 workers had been rescued from hydropower projects so far, where authorities had initially estimated that more than 900 people were missing.
Chinese authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 people still missing, including 261 foreigners, in their most recent update on Sunday. One Virginia family told CBS News on Monday they had experienced a rollercoaster of emotions as conflicting information about survivors comes out, and while some members had lost hope that a husband and wife last thought to have been in Tibet could still be found alive, others were determined to wait for confirmation.
What's confirmed
- Chinese authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 people still missing, including 261 foreigners, in their most recent update on Sunday.
- Prime Minister Balendra Shah said 279 workers had been rescued from hydropower projects so far, where authorities had initially estimated that more than 900 people were missing.
- The Prefect called it "a rapid and concrete sign to convey, especially to the most vulnerable, the closeness and tenderness of the Holy Father, like a caress from the Church that accompanies and supports them." The…
What's still developing
- Scientists studying satellite imagery said the collapse appears to have involved the failure of bedrock beneath a glacier.
- “Thousands of citizens have lost their homes, families, loved ones, and property,” Shah said on social media.
- Rescue teams had managed to restore road networks to Nuwakot, one of the worst-affected districts, facilitating rescue operations and the distribution of relief material, Shah said.
- Police official Bipin Regmi said a search team recovered 24 bodies from a house in Betrabati village in Nuwakot district.
- Aid worth more than $42m has poured into the country after the disaster, Shah said, and the government expects the contributions to increase.
- Pictures and videos shared by rescue teams showed earth-moving equipment digging and shovelling mud and rocks under lights in the dark of the night as workers watched.
- Over the weekend, a 6-year-old girl was miraculously pulled from the mud-covered rubble, fueling hope that some of the nearly 4,000 people still listed as missing in the wake of the disaster could be found alive.
- The death toll in Nepal and China passed 1,000 on Tuesday, authorities said, and the fear is that the toll will spiral as recovery efforts continue along the scars carved into the landscape by the raging floods.