Nepal: Flood death toll surpasses 600

The avalanche that occurred last Wednesday triggered a massive surge of rocks, ice, mud, and debris through the mountain river networks in the Himalayas, causing widespread floods that killed more than 600 people in Nepal and China’s Tibet region, with over 2,000 still missing.

Nepal’s Foreign Minister, Chhiring Sherpa Khadka, told Reuters that his country needs foreign assistance in specialized and technical areas where it lacks expertise, following the devastating floods, but does not require help with search and rescue operations.

Nepalese officials said the floods caused severe damage to school and hospital buildings, hydropower plants, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure.

Khadka said there were reports that some people might be trapped inside the tunnels of hydropower plants.

He added that Nepal lacks significant expertise in tunneling and requires equipment and technical knowledge for rescue operations inside tunnels.