KATHMANDU: Nepal has suspended search-and-rescue operations in parts of the country because of heavy rain and poor visibility and is seeking foreign technical assistance following devastating floods that killed at least 626 people in Nepal and seven in China’s Tibet.
The Himalayan nation also expects to need between $4 billion and $5 billion to rebuild infrastructure destroyed by Wednesday’s disaster, Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle told Reuters.
The floods were triggered by a glacier collapse that sent rock, ice, mud and debris through mountain river systems, destroying buildings, bridges and power infrastructure in areas bordering Tibet.
Nearly 3,000 people remain missing, including about 2,426 in Nepal and at least 558 in Tibet’s Gyirong County. At least 540 foreigners are among those missing, many of them Hindu pilgrims from India.
Why has Nepal suspended rescue operations?
Authorities in Nepal halted search-and-rescue operations on Saturday as rain and dense fog hampered efforts in the badly affected Rasuwa district.
Narendra Pariyar, the district’s senior bureaucrat, said authorities were instead focusing on arranging land transport to move rescued pilgrims to Kathmandu.
Rescue efforts had also been briefly suspended on Friday after a lake formed near the Nepal-China border began overflowing into the Lhende Khola and Trishuli rivers.
Officials are monitoring two lakes upstream of the disaster zone and have warned that flood risks could continue until both lakes drain completely.
China’s state-run Xinhua reported that one of the lakes was shrinking, while a Chinese geohazards expert warned that it could remain unstable. More than 100 glacial lakes in the wider area could also pose risks.
Nepalese Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said Kathmandu was not seeking general search-and-rescue assistance but specialised technical support.
He said Nepal needed expertise for rescuing people trapped in tunnels, reopening transport and communication routes, identifying bodies, conducting DNA tests and preserving bodies for longer periods.
“We have already made requests for such specialised services and technical assistance,” Khanal said.
How much will Nepal need to rebuild?
Finance Minister Wagle said the government initially estimates that reconstruction could cost between $4 billion and $5 billion, although the figure could change as authorities complete their assessment of the damage.
India has sent three flights carrying around 60 tonnes of relief supplies, including food, medicines, blankets and water-purification tablets.
New Delhi has also offered disaster-response personnel, tunnel-rescue and medical teams, prefabricated bridges and technical assistance to restore damaged connectivity.
China has called for emergency assistance and international cooperation in rescue efforts as its authorities work to locate more than 500 people reported missing in Tibet.
At the Gyirong border crossing, rescuers reached some of the worst-hit areas after roads were destroyed by the floods. Teams used ropes to cross mountains, valleys, forests and cliffs to reach damaged facilities.
Authorities continue to monitor the flood-affected mountain region amid concerns over further flooding, unstable glacial lakes and difficult weather conditions.