Nepal is experiencing a humanitarian crisis as the death toll due to massive flash floods continues to rise, claiming over 600 lives, with about 2,500 people reported missing. Resulting from a massive glacial collapse at high altitude and a huge landslide in the mountains, the torrents have isolated remote villages, wiped out many bridges, and trapped hundreds of workers in hydroelectric plants.
Missing nationals: The External Affairs Department has identified about 320 missing Indian citizens and 100 people of Indian origin who are missing. Hydropower plant sites hit hard : Several hundreds of missing persons are from sites like the Upper Trishuli-1 hydroelectric plant, which faced the brunt of the slurry wave, especially tunnel structures and worker camps. Evacuation successful : Rescue teams were able to make contact with about 400 Indians safely located in Tibet, and nearly 100 who were stranded in the vicinity of the border have returned safely to Nepal.
Rescue operation under immense pressure, disaster management bodies continue to be on high alert due to the formation of an unstable temporary lake in the river corridor of Bhote Koshi. Debris barrier formation : The initial collapse of the mountains blocked narrow channels of the rivers with millions of tons of stones, ice, and mud, thus forming a natural dam.
