Nepal-Tibet floods – closing summary
We’re pausing our live coverage of the disaster. Here are the key developments from the last few hours:
The death toll in Nepal has risen to 788, taking the overall toll to 804. Chinese state media earlier confirmed 16 dead in Tibet and 546 people missing following Wednesday’s disaster.
There are 3,048 people unaccounted for.
Nepal’s Chitwan district has become the site of mass burials for hundreds of unidentified victims whose bodies were swept away by the devastating flash floods. Authorities have dug hundreds of graves in the district’s Devghat forest, which is serving as a temporary burial ground for bodies too badly decomposed to be identified.
Morgues across Nepal are already overflowing. Authorities have been overwhelmed trying to identify the dead, with many bodies beyond recognition and turning up miles downstream.
About 85 Americans remain missing, the state department said on Sunday. State department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told ABC News that nine Americans have been evacuated and that he was unaware of any US nationals dying in the disaster.
China said 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries were missing on the Tibetan side of a border crossing with Nepal: the highest number was from Nepal at 104, while 49 Indian, 33 Latvian, 18 American and 15 British citizens were also unaccounted for.
Senator Penny Wong, Australian minister for foreign affairs, said Australia is deploying a further $3m in humanitarian assistance to flood-afflicted areas along the Nepal-China border. Wong highlighted that 42 Australians remain unaccounted for.
Authorities have issued high-alert fresh water surge and flash flood warnings for the Trishuli Bazaar area in Nepal’s Nuwakot district following severe upstream glacial collapses and debris flows.
In a breakthrough late on Saturday, the Nepali army was able to insert a pipe into a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric site where more than 100 workers may still be alive and trapped inside such tunnels, with rescue efforts still ongoing.
Key events
Flood death toll in Nepal rises to 788
Nepal’s disaster agency said on Sunday the death toll had risen to 788 with 2,502 people missing, while Chinese authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 missing in Tibet. This brings the overall toll to 804.
The missing include hundreds of people from over a dozen countries who were in the region to work, visit the mountains or make a pilgrimage to a sacred peak.
On Sunday, Chinese state media said 261 foreigners were among those missing in Tibet, including over a hundred Nepalis as well as others from around the world.
Hannah Ellis-Petersen
Here is our latest report on people returning to the remains of their homes in Nepal, where local morgues have already run out of room following the devastating floods:
Since the deadly floods coursed through the Himalayan valleys of Nepal and Tibet, the numbers of people killed have continued to rise. The bodies have surfaced in their hundreds and continue to be pulled from the thick, tar-like mud that engulfed everything after the flood waters had receded. By Sunday, the death toll stood at 797 in Nepal and Tibet.
Morgues across Nepal are already overflowing. Authorities say they are overwhelmed with the task of trying to identify the dead, many mangled beyond recognition and turning up miles from home. As places to safely store the victims run out, mass burials have begun in the district of Bharatpur.
DNA samples were taken from each body before it was given a tag and a location number, wrapped in a plastic bag and then placed in a shallow grave. The hope, said the police, was that these bodies will eventually be identified by loved ones through DNA and retrieved for proper funeral rites.
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Authorities in Nepal are warning of potential fresh flooding as water levels rise in the Bhotekoshi River, with residents in flood-affected districts urged to stay alert.
Flood warnings were sent to phones on Sunday, according to the AP, as rescue crews worked to clear a major highway connecting Kathmandu to one of the areas worst hit by Wednesday’s catastrophic floods.
The latest warnings came after Chinese authorities informed their Nepalese counterparts of increased water flow upstream. The Chinese state news agency Xinhua, citing the country’s water resources ministry, said a new lake formed after Wednesday’s floods high in the mountains had largely drained.
A bus carrying people rescued after the flood in Rasuwa crashed on Sunday at Danda, according to Nepal’s National News Committee.
The bus was on its way to Bardiya transporting survivors who had been evacuated from Rasuwa to Kathmandu following the disaster when the accident occurred, the outlet said.
The bus was carrying 38 passengers at the time, and 32 were injured. Of those, 27 have already been discharged after being treated, and five remain in hospital, according to deputy superintendent of police Anil Pandit of the Nawalpur East District Police Office.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said Sunday it has released $150,000 from the South-East Asia Regional Health Emergency Fund (SEARHEF) to support the needs of the communities impacted by the devastating flash floods.
“The emergency funds will support immediate response priorities. WHO is committed to supporting Nepal through the response and recovery efforts,” a press statement said. The WHO described the flash floods as one of the worst tragedies in the country in recent times.
Earlier, within hours of the flash floods on 26 August, the WHO mobilized and dispatched essential emergency medical supplies, including multipurpose tents, surgical masks, gloves, hand sanitizers and other medical supplies for the affected areas.
Nepal-Tibet floods – key developments so far
If you’re just joining us now, here are the key developments from the last few hours:
The death toll in Nepal has risen to 781, taking the overall toll to 797. Chinese state media earlier confirmed 16 dead in Tibet and 546 people missing following Wednesday’s disaster. There are 3,048 people unaccounted for.
Nepal’s Chitwan district has become the site of mass burials for hundreds of unidentified victims whose bodies were swept away by the devastating flash floods. Authorities have dug hundreds of graves in the district’s Devghat forest, with the forest trials serving as a temporary burial ground for bodies too badly decomposed to be identified.
About 85 Americans remain missing, the state department said on Sunday. State department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told ABC News that nine Americans have been evacuated and that he was unaware of any US nationals dying in the disaster.
China said 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries were missing on the Tibetan side of a border crossing with Nepal: the highest number was from Nepal at 104, while 49 Indian, 33 Latvian, 18 American and 15 British citizens were also unaccounted for.
Senator Penny Wong, Australian minister for foreign affairs, said Australia is deploying a further $3m in humanitarian assistance to flood-afflicted areas along the Nepal-China border. Wong highlighted that 42 Australians remain unaccounted for.
Authorities have issued high-alert fresh water surge and flash flood warnings for the Trishuli Bazaar area in Nepal’s Nuwakot district following severe upstream glacial collapses and debris flows.
In a breakthrough late on Saturday, the Nepali army was able to insert a pipe into a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric site where more than 100 workers may still be alive and trapped inside such tunnels, with rescue efforts still ongoing.
Here are some images of rescuers and army personnel in Nepal trying to locate the thousands of people who are still missing.
About 85 Americans remain missing after a devastating flood swept through a remote region of the Himalayas, the state department said on Sunday.
State department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told ABC talkshow “This Week” that nine Americans have been evacuated and that he was unaware of any US nationals dying in the disaster.
Pigott said:
The remoteness of this location makes getting reliable information difficult. But our dedication remains, our commitment remains.
Death toll rises to 797
The death toll in Nepal has risen to 781, Reuters reports, citing the disaster authority.
As we reported earlier, there are slightly different figures going around from different agencies and officials, and earlier we reported 788.
Chinese state media earlier confirmed 16 dead in Tibet and 546 people missing following Wednesday’s disaster, taking the overall toll to 797 dead and 3,048 unaccounted for.
