‘Every rescue now a miracle’: 4,462 still missing in Nepal, hopes dim
Rescue operations in Nepal and Tibet have entered a critical phase following devastating floods that have left over 1,000 dead and more than 4,400 missing. Officials state that finding survivors in open areas is now highly unlikely, shifting the focus to potential air pockets in underground structures.
Why it matters
The scale of the disaster and the high number of missing persons represent a major humanitarian crisis requiring significant international disaster management coordination.
TRISHULI BAZAAR (NUWANKOT, NEPAL): Death toll from the Aug 26 Himalayan flood rose to 1,066 across Nepal and Tibet on Tuesday, while 4,462 people remained missing as rescue operations entered a critical phase.Of those killed, 1,050 were in Nepal and 16 in Tibet. Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority listed 3,916 people missing, including 583 foreign nationals, while China’s latest count listed another 546 missing in Tibet.Seven days after the flood, hope of finding survivors in the open along the Bhote Koshi-Trishuli corridor dimmed sharply. Senior police officers and disaster management officials told TOI that, outside tunnels, underground powerhouses and other protected structures, “each successful rescue would now be a miracle”. This, even as teams searched stretches buried under sludge, boulders, uprooted trees and wreckage.
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