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

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday that efforts are underway 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 is committed to supporting national efforts to provide emergency relief and aid to help alleviate the suffering 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 has been allocated “to save lives by providing emergency medical care, shelter, and water.”

Meanwhile, UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal, Leila Peters Yahya, confirmed to 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 have lost their lives, 73 have been hospitalized, and the total number of missing persons stands at 910, including 517 foreigners of various nationalities.

Residents of Nepal’s Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dading districts are in urgent need of humanitarian aid, as communities face severe challenges amid families’ losses, displacement, and the disruption of essential services.