Nepal floods: Toll climbs to 768, nearly 3,000 missing as rescue efforts enter fifth day

The toll in the flash flood and mudslide in Nepal and China rose to 768 on Sunday, reported AFP. Nearly 3,000 persons were missing.

On the Nepal side, 2,426 persons were out of contact as of Saturday, the country’s disaster management authority was quoted as saying. The number was 546 in Tibet, with 16 persons confirmed dead.

A total of 517 foreigners were among those out of contact. This includes tourists as well as foreign workers, reported AFP. New Delhi said on Saturday that 287 Indians were missing in Nepal.

The floods occurred in the Rasuwa district along Nepal’s northern border with China on Wednesday. The mountainous district is located about 120 km north of Kathmandu. As there was no rainfall in the area, residents did not have a warning about the deluge.

The United States Geological Survey has said that the floods were caused by a glacial collapse that sent a wall of water and debris downstream, reported AFP.

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, which works on climate and glacial conditions in Nepal, had earlier stated that according to its preliminary investigation, a large volume of ice and rock debris had entered the Lende Khola, a tributary of the Bhotekoshi river, which generated a sudden surge that carried water, sediment...

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