▲ Mega-Floods in Nepal
On the 28th (local time), the third day since massive floods struck the Himalayan mountainous region along the border between Nepal and China, the total death toll confirmed across both countries rose to 472.
According to Reuters and other sources, Nepal police stated that 469 people were killed by the massive floods that struck areas in the northern Bagmati Province on the 26th.
Combined with the 3 deaths reported in China's Tibet Autonomous Region, the total death toll for both countries stands at 472.
The total death toll was 362 until the previous day, but it increased by more than 100 as bodies were continuously recovered in Bagmati Province, Nepal.
The total number of missing persons was tallied at 1,535, combining 977 in Nepal and 558 in Tibet.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal stated on this day that assistance from other countries is not necessary regarding the search and rescue operations.
Lok Bahadur Chhetri, a spokesperson for Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said, "It is natural for (other countries) to offer help," but added, "Our security agencies are conducting search and rescue operations, and such assistance is not needed at present."
The Nepalese military authorities are attempting to rescue around 100 people trapped inside the flooded tunnel of the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric power plant.
Raja Ram Basnet, a spokesperson for the Nepalese military, explained the situation, saying, "We deployed two helicopters, but it is difficult even to locate the tunnel entrance."
The Prime Minister's Office of Nepal also issued a statement emphasizing, "Despite dangerous conditions due to bad weather, we successfully rescued about 350 workers and local residents who were trapped in the tunnel a short while ago," and added, "We are working to evacuate the approximately 100 people still trapped inside the tunnel."
Nepalese police stated that they had rescued 1,545 people from the flood-affected areas as of the morning of this day.
It has been suggested that this massive flood may have occurred as a massive amount of glaciers and rocks collapsed due to climate change in the Himalayas caused by global warming.
It was analyzed that a glacier nearly 600 meters wide collapsed along with rocks at an altitude of 5,200 meters on Mount Langtang Lirung (7,234 meters above sea level), generating an immense shock comparable to a magnitude 5.2 earthquake.
It is estimated that the massive floods occurred as glaciers and debris flows subsequently swept down downstream for about 70 kilometers from the Lende River to the Trishuli River.
There are also speculations that a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) may have occurred, a phenomenon where a massive amount of water is released from a lake formed like a 'natural dam' by melting glaciers.
Experts expect that such floods will increase in the future due to climate change, including global warming.
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