Rescue operations in Nepal have continued following catastrophic flash floods that struck the country’s border region with Tibet. On Tuesday, authorities reported pulling 119 people from affected areas, including 118 Nepali nationals and one British male whose identity has not yet been disclosed. An army spokesperson confirmed the individual’s rescue during an ongoing search and rescue operation.
The scale of the disaster has been immense, with confirmed deaths exceeding 1,050 in Nepal and 66 in Tibet since the flooding began. More than 4,000 people remain unaccounted for. The event was triggered by the collapse of a glacier in the high Himalayas, with the initial disturbance registering as a magnitude-4.4 earthquake. The resulting surge of water, mud, and ice traveled along multiple river systems including the Lhende Khola, Bhotekoshi, and Trishuli rivers.
According to Nepal’s prime minister, 11,000 people have been rescued from the impacted region, with 330 foreign nationals among them. The UK Foreign Office indicated that 36 British nationals remain missing. A UK rapid deployment rescue team arrived in Nepal on Saturday as part of a £5 million government commitment to support relief operations. The Red Cross estimates approximately 93,000 people have been directly affected by the disaster.
Current rescue efforts are increasingly focused on roughly 600 workers believed to be trapped inside tunnels at hydropower stations throughout the region. Search crews continue to operate under challenging conditions marked by unstable terrain and extensive flood debris. Officials from Nepal, China, and Tibet previously met in May to coordinate responses to flood and glacier-related hazards. Scientists have indicated that climate-related changes in mountain regions are likely to increase the frequency of such catastrophic events.
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