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Nepal Floods Force Zipline Evacuations as Search Continues
Confirmed
In Short: Trapped citizens in Rasuwagadhi are being rescued via ziplines as floods decimate Nepal's infrastructure, leaving 1,252 dead and 4,200 missing.
Rescuers in Nepal are using ziplines to evacuate citizens trapped in Rasuwagadhi, where 46 people are stranded in a structure within a hydropower plant tunnel, according to a board member of the Nepal Electricity Authority.
The floods, caused by seven to nine major rivers flowing into India, have devastated Nepal's bridges and infrastructure, prompting the use of unconventional rescue methods.
While 16 Americans have made their way to safety, 75 remain unaccounted for, and no American casualties have been reported.
More than a week after the floods, some missing tourists have contacted authorities, offering hope as search operations continue, with at least 1,252 people confirmed dead and 4,200 missing.
The disaster has affected not only Nepalese but also Indian nationals and people of Indian origin, particularly those traveling to the Kailash Mansarovar region.
Background: The floods are part of the monsoon season, which typically brings heavy rains to the region, but this year's monsoon has been particularly severe, leading to extensive damage and loss of life.
What's confirmed
What's still developing
- Seven to nine major rivers flow from Nepal into the Indian plains, and they are responsible for flooding in India, according to Manish Shrestha, a hydrologist at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
- For ordinary monsoon floods, India may have "roughly 12 hours to two days of warning", according to Sanyal, depending on how quickly the water travels downstream.
- A senior official in President Donald Trump's administration also told Fox News that an additional two Americans made it to safety in Nepal, marking 16 total Americans in the country who made their way to safety.
- At least five foreign nationals previously reported missing have made contact with authorities by phone or email and are safe, according to Nepali officials.
- Australia has also announced that it will send drone operators to Nepal to assist search-and-rescue efforts.
- At Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, a “wall of the missing” is covered with photographs of people who disappeared in the floods, alongside images of recovered bodies that have yet to be identified.
- Nepalese authorities are temporarily burying some recovered bodies until they can be identified.