More than 30 British nationals are among hundreds of people missing and feared dead as rescue efforts continue following devastating flash floods in Nepal. The country’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 165 bodies have so far been recovered following flooding in the Rasuwa district, which borders China’s autonomous region of Tibet.
A 13-year-old girl is among the 33 British nationals believed to be unaccounted for, as the total number of missing people rose from 403 to 826.
‘Tsunami from the sky’
The president of the Nepal Centre for Disaster Management described the scene as being like a “tsunami from the sky” and that villages have been “completely wiped out”. Bishal Nath Upreti told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the damage to the infrastructure has been so extensive only helicopters can be used to reach the site of the disaster.
Flash floods caused rivers to burst their banks and covered populated areas in thick mud, burying houses and creating difficult conditions for rescuers. Videos posted on social media appeared to show huge floodwaters surging through valleys as people screamed in terror, with bridges being washed away. Other videos showed people desperately fleeing uphill to escape the surging muddy floodwaters.
Pilgrims among missing
A number of those missing had been making a pilgrimage to the sacred Hindu site of Mount Kailash, Nepalese tour operator The Trekkers’ Society said. The operator said nine British nationals on one of its tours to the site were among those unaccounted for – four males, aged 14, 50, 50, and 54, and five females, aged 40, 46, 50, 50, and 53.
General manager Roshan Basnet told the Press Association: “When the flood happened, they were still at the Chinese immigration (at) the border. After the flood happened, we had no contact with our tour guide.” He added: “We have yet to get the confirmation of what state they’re in, but as for the video that is circulating on the internet, we believe that it’s a pretty difficult (situation).”
Travel logs obtained by PA show three men aged 65, 64, and 52, and seven women aged 44, 47, 51, 60, 63, 63, and 65, are also among the missing British nationals. Tour operator Kailash Journeys confirmed it had not been able to account for seven UK nationals – five women and two men aged between 18 and 55 – travelling with the company.
Widespread impact
According to the Nepal Tourism Board, 579 travellers are missing in the affected area in the country, including 466 foreign nationals. China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency said 558 people remained unaccounted for in neighbouring Tibet.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said a magnitude 5.2 seismic event occurred near the border between Nepal and China on Wednesday at 8.37am local time. It added that a “glacial collapse and debris flow” caused “subsequent catastrophic impacts downstream”.
Kalpana Malla, from Nepal’s Nuwakot district, told BBC News: “My family members were swept away by the flood in front of my eyes.” She added: “They could not escape the flood, there was no chance at all. This flood took everything, but my son and I climbed the rooftop of a house and survived, but couldn’t explain how.”
Rajan Shrestha, the mayor of Bidur municipality, told The Times that he had “never seen such a massive flood in my life” and estimated that about 400 people may have been swept away. He added: “And it came so fast. We could not evacuate all the people from the main town.”
Sunil Sharma, a tourism board spokesman, said 133 of those missing were from India on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash. Also among the missing were 47 people from the US, 34 from Australia, and 24 from Canada, he added.
In its analysis, the USGS said: “This event was initially reported as a magnitude 4.4 earthquake. Additional analysis of nearby seismic stations, long period seismic waves, and satellite imagery led to the determination that the seismic event was instead a glacial collapse and debris flow, and that no earthquake had occurred.”
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Wednesday that the Government will do “everything we can” to support British nationals in Nepal following the floods. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it was “deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation caused by the floods in Nepal”. It added: “British nationals in Nepal should follow local authority advice and exercise caution while travelling. For consular assistance call (+44) (0)207 008 5000 or (+977) (0)14237100.”
