United Nations reaffirms mobilization of international efforts to assist victims of devastating floods in Nepal and China

Washington, Aug 27 (KUNA) – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday affirmed efforts to mobilize international assistance for the victims of the devastating floods that recently struck Nepal and China. Speaking to journalists at UN headquarters in New York, Guterres said, “The United Nations is currently mobilizing supplies and humanitarian teams and pledges to support national efforts to provide emergency relief and aid to help mitigate the severity of the tragedy caused by the floods.”

For his part, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher announced on the X platform that an initial amount of $2 million from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund had been allocated “to save lives by providing emergency medical care, shelter, and water.”

Meanwhile, the UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal, Leila Peters Yahya, told journalists in New York via video link from the capital, Kathmandu, that “the scale of the disaster is so immense that I am at a loss for words to describe what happened yesterday.”

Peters reported that, according to authorities, 359 people had lost their lives, 73 were hospitalized, and the total number of missing persons stood at 910, including 517 foreigners of various nationalities.

Residents of Nepal’s Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dading districts require urgent humanitarian aid, as communities face severe challenges amid families suffering loss and displacement, with essential services disrupted. (End) A.M.M. / S.A.M.