Helpless Even When Victims Are Found... Mud Piles Where Floodwaters Receded

[Anchor]

Soldiers and police have been deployed to the disaster site to conduct search and rescue operations for survivors. However, rescue efforts are facing major difficulties as the area is entirely covered in thick mud and building debris.

Reporter Yu Deok-gi has the details.

[Reporter]

A Nepali soldier carries a mud-covered survivor on his back to rescue him.

It is a struggle to take even a single step through the thick mire.

An elderly woman, rescued from the middle of the mud by villagers and loaded onto a tractor, is also covered in mud from head to toe.

Stunned by the sudden disaster, the woman appears completely dazed.

Even among those fortunate enough to be rescued, the majority have lost their families and their entire livelihoods.

[Keshab Prasad Baral / Survivor: I was on the terrace, and the floodwaters rose up to the roof. People were dying. It wasn't until about an hour later that the water receded a little, but my wife was already buried (in the landslide).]

[Jaleshwar Kumar Sahni / Survivor: Everything was destroyed in just 15 minutes. We have nothing left.]

On the second day since the floods and landslides occurred, Nepali authorities deployed military and police to the disaster zone, mobilizing more than 3,000 police officers alone.

However, the search for survivors and rescue operations remain extremely difficult.

Rapid currents still flow, filled with debris ranging from massive boulders rolled down from mountains to fragments of buildings and bridges. Even when victims who lost their lives are spotted in the torrents, rescuers are unable to reach them.

In areas where the water has receded, mud has piled up higher than an adult's waist.

With bridges and roads destroyed, some regions are not only inaccessible, but assessing the scale of the damage is also proving difficult, prompting Nepali authorities to enlist the help of private aircraft as well as military helicopters.

Due to a sudden surge of large-scale casualties, local medical facilities are facing shortages, creating severe challenges in treating survivors and accommodating the deceased.

Search and rescue operations in the Gyirong County area of Tibet, China, are also facing setbacks due to destroyed infrastructure and landslide debris.

[CCTV Reporter (Chinese State Broadcaster): The edge of the mud-rock flow (caused by the landslide) is nearly 1.5 meters thick. This has created tremendous difficulties for rescue operations.]

Rain is forecasted to fall across the entire Gyirong County in Tibet starting tomorrow through Sunday, expected to add further burdens to the search and rescue operations.

(Video Editing: Oh Young-taek)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.