Nepal floods: Rescuers claw through mud as Nepal, China flood missing toll nears 3,000; 630 bodies recovered
A catastrophic glacial collapse on the Tibet-Nepal border has triggered massive floods and mudslides, leaving nearly 3,000 people missing. Rescue efforts are currently hampered by thick mud and difficult terrain.
Why it matters
This disaster highlights the extreme vulnerability of Himalayan communities to climate-related geological events and the resulting humanitarian crisis.
BIDUR, Nepal (AFP): Rescuers in Nepal and China were battling Saturday to locate thousands of people missing days after a deadly, tsunami-like wall of water and debris swept through the Himalayan region, engulfing entire villages.
The latest figures from both countries put the number of missing close to 3,000, with 633 bodies recovered -- and reports of some dead possibly swept downstream as far away as India.
Rescue worker Kawan Koirala, from the Nepal Scout Disaster Response Team, said they were struggling in thick, leg-sucking mud.
"People want their want their family's body back, either dead or alive, but we cannot find them... you can see the mud," he told AFP, exhausted after an 18 hour shift.
"It is very traumatic for me too. It is my first time seeing these types of things. Everywhere is mud. We faced flood in Nepal before, but not like this."
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