Missing Persons in Nepal Floods Surge to 823, Death Toll Rises to 270

On the 27th local time, the second day after massive floods struck the Himalayan mountainous region of Nepal near the Chinese border, the number of missing persons surged to approximately 820.

Nepalese disaster authorities announced on this day that 823 people are missing following the massive floods that occurred the previous day in parts of Bagmati Province in northern Nepal.

The number of missing persons, which was tallied at 484 at one point the previous day, increased by more than 300 in a single day as missing person reports continued to pour in.

Among the total missing persons, 517 are reported to be foreign nationals, while more than 200 are Nepalese.

The missing foreign nationals are reportedly from some 30 countries, including India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Malaysia, Italy, and Ukraine.

Nine South Koreans affiliated with Korea South-East Power Co. and Doosan Enerbility, who were constructing a hydroelectric power plant in the area, remain out of contact.

Among the 10 other South Koreans affiliated with Doosan Enerbility who were reportedly isolated locally, nine were moved to a safe area on this day.

The remaining individual, the head of the Doosan Enerbility local site, stayed behind in the area, along with two embassy officials including a consul and an administrative officer from the South Korean Embassy in Nepal.

A joint government rapid response team consisting of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Korean National Police Agency, and the National Fire Agency departed from Incheon International Airport on this day and headed to Kathmandu, Nepal.

The death toll, which stood at 157 until the previous day, also increased significantly to 270 as search operations continued.

Abhi Narayan Kafle, a spokesperson for the Nepal Police, stated, "We have resumed the search and expect more bodies to be recovered," adding, "The death toll will likely rise."

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority of Nepal reported that 80 bridges and 40 kilometers of roads were damaged, and 83 security personnel, including local police and soldiers, are missing.

In Gyirong County, Xigazê City, in China's Tibet Autonomous Region bordering Nepal, a landslide believed to be related to the cause of this flood also occurred, leaving 3 dead and 558 missing.

Among these missing persons, 260 are foreign nationals.

Combined, the number of missing persons from both Nepal and Tibet exceeds 1,300.

On this day, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs explained that 288 Indian nationals are missing in Nepal, and 200 are isolated in Tibet.

It has been suggested that the floods may have been caused by the collapse of a massive amount of glacier and rock triggered by climate change in the Himalayas due to global warming.

The U.S. Geological Survey initially stated that a magnitude 4.4 earthquake occurred in the Tibet region, but later issued a new report adding that no earthquake had taken place.

It estimated that an impact similar to an earthquake occurred during the process of massive glaciers and rocks collapsing, after which the glacier collapse and debris flows swept downstream, causing severe flooding.

Floods occur when so-called natural dams composed of ice and rock that trap lakes suddenly collapse.

Experts have predicted that such floods will increase in the future due to climate change.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.