▲ Devastating Floods in Nepal
On August 27 (local time), the second day after massive floods struck the Nepalese Himalayas near the Chinese border, the death toll surged to 359, with the number of missing persons exceeding 900.
According to local Nepalese media outlet Online Khabar, AFP, and the British BBC, Nepalese police stated that the massive floods that hit northern Bagmati Province and surrounding areas a day earlier resulted in 359 deaths and 73 injuries as of this afternoon.
As search operations continued, bodies were recovered throughout Bagmati Province, doubling the death toll from 157 the previous day.
Bodies of 100 Indian tourists and 25 Chinese workers reported missing near the Trishuli River in Bagmati Province were successively recovered today.
"We resumed the search (today) and expect to recover more bodies (in the future)," said Nepal Police Spokesperson Rabi Narayan Kafle, adding that "the death toll is expected to (continue to) rise."
He also added, "Over the past few hours, we have rescued 445 people, including 27 foreigners."
Following a series of reports, the number of missing persons, which was tallied at 484 the previous day, sharply increased to 910 within a single day.
Among the total missing, 517 are foreigners, while over 200 are Nepalese nationals.
The missing foreigners are reportedly from about 30 countries, including India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Malaysia, Italy, and Ukraine.
In Gyirong County, Xigaze, in China's Tibet Autonomous Region near the Nepalese border, a landslide believed to be linked to the cause of these floods also occurred, leaving 3 dead and 558 missing.
Among these missing individuals, 260 are foreigners.
Combined, the number of missing persons in Nepal and Tibet exceeds 1,400.
Earlier today, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs explained that 288 Indians were missing in Nepal, and 200 were stranded in Tibet.
The U.S. government stated that 90 of its citizens remain missing due to the floods in Nepal.
The Chinese government also announced that around 100 of its nationals are missing in Nepal, though they have not yet been included in the missing persons count announced by the Nepalese government, EFE reported.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian stated, "Nearly 100 Chinese nationals are missing in the affected areas on the Nepalese side," adding that "the Chinese Embassy in Nepal is conducting further verification with the Nepalese (government)."
Communication has also been cut off with nine South Koreans affiliated with Korea South-East Power Co. and Doosan Enerbility who were constructing a hydroelectric power plant in the region.
Among 10 other South Koreans affiliated with Doosan Enerbility who were reportedly stranded locally, nine were moved to a safe area today.
The remaining individual, a Doosan Enerbility site manager, stayed behind along with two embassy officials, including a consul and an administrative staff member from the South Korean Embassy in Nepal.
A government joint rapid response team composed of South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Police Agency, and National Fire Agency departed from Incheon International Airport today and arrived in Kathmandu.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) of Nepal stated that 80 bridges and roads spanning 40 kilometers were damaged, and 85 personnel—including 28 local police officers and 57 soldiers—are missing.
It added that approximately 17,200 people are currently participating in rescue operations, and about 1,470 individuals have been rescued so far.
The Nepal Red Cross Society reported that entire villages have been devastated and remain completely isolated due to severed roads and bridges.
Bishal Kumar Bhandari, President of the Nepal Red Cross Society, stated that about 1,200 people have evacuated from at least three villages, adding that rescue operations in the affected areas have transitioned into large-scale relief operations.
It has been suggested that the floods may have been triggered when massive volumes of glaciers and rocks collapsed due to climate change in the Himalayas driven by global warming.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) initially stated that a magnitude 4.4 earthquake had occurred in the Tibet region, but later released a revised report clarifying that no earthquake took place.
It estimated that an earthquake-like shock was generated during the process of massive glaciers and rock masses collapsing, after which the glacier collapse and debris flows swept downstream, causing severe flooding.
Flash floods occur when so-called "natural dams" formed of ice and rock trapping lakes suddenly collapse.
This phenomenon, where a massive amount of water is suddenly released from a glacial lake, is known as a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF).
Experts expect such floods to increase in the future due to climate change, including global warming.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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