Floods in Tibet and Nepal: at least 621 dead and over 2,400 missing

NEW DELHI – The death toll from the flooding between Tibet and Nepal, which is constantly being updated due to the rapidly changing situation on the ground, stands at 621, with over 2,400 people missing. According to figures released by local authorities, there have been 616 fatalities in Nepal, whilst 5 have been reported on the Chinese side. As for those missing, 1,924 have been confirmed in Nepal, including over 500 foreigners. In Tibet, at least 558 people are unaccounted for, including 260 travellers who are currently untraceable.

Meanwhile, there is still no news of the three Italians reported missing in the devastating flood that struck the Himalayan regions on Wednesday along the border between Nepal and Tibet. Rescue operations are being hampered by bad weather, to the extent that the Chinese authorities have decided to suspend them for fear that a dam formed by the landslide that triggered the disaster might collapse and cause further flooding. According to reports on Beijing’s state television, water has already begun to overflow from the reservoir.

The rain that is hampering operations in Tibet is not the only obstacle. Although the missing include nationals from 30 different countries, the Nepalese government has made it clear that it is not interested in receiving rescue teams from abroad. India, China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have all asked to send their specialists to the Himalayan nation, but the government led by Balendra Shah, a 36-year-old former rapper who emerged victorious from last March’s elections, has not given the go-ahead.

Meanwhile, the Nepalese army has rescued 350 workers and residents who were trapped in the tunnel of the Upper Trishuli Hydropower Project, in Rasuwa district. This has been reported by Nepal News and Radio Nepal, which state that rescue operations are continuing to reach over 100 people still trapped inside the tunnel. The army reported that it had rescued a total of 883 workers and residents in the affected areas of Rasuwa on Thursday alone. The operation inside the tunnel is being made particularly difficult by adverse weather conditions and the high flow of the river.

Sources at the Farnesina have indicated that investigations are under way into the three Italians whom the Nepalese authorities have been unable to trace. The first is Marco Ratto, who was travelling from Nepal to Tibet. The Chinese travel agency that was due to take charge of the group has confirmed that it lost contact with them at the border crossing. This information has also been confirmed by the Nepalese agency directly to the family. Then there is an Italian-Swiss couple travelling from Tibet to Nepal. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explains that there are no details of the travel agency and there is still no confirmation that they have crossed the border.