The death toll from the catastrophic flooding in Nepal has risen above 600, with almost 2,500 people still missing, including more than 30 British nationals, as a UK rapid deployment team arrives to provide support.
Death toll and missing figures
Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority confirmed on Saturday that 626 people had died, while nearly 2,500 people were unaccounted for. Chinese state media reported seven deaths and 554 people missing in Tibet.
The District Administration Office in Chitwan district said it had identified only four of the 233 bodies recovered so far. DNA samples were being taken from bodies that were “in a state of decomposition and no longer identifiable”.
UK response and rescue efforts
As the rescue operation entered its fourth day, Nepal Army spokesman Brigadier General Raja Ram Basnet said helicopter operations had been suspended on Saturday until weather conditions improved. Rescue efforts were continuing at a hydropower construction plant, where more than 100 people are believed to be trapped in a mud-filled tunnel. Efforts had been hampered by fears of more flooding from a lake formed by the glacier collapse that triggered the flooding on Wednesday.
The rapid deployment team was due to arrive in Kathmandu on Saturday to support British nationals and their families. The team, consisting of specially trained crisis response staff, will work alongside the British embassy and local authorities to co-ordinate assistance for British nationals at the airport, support those seeking information about missing relatives, liaise with local authorities and emergency responders, and reinforce existing consular operations.
Humanitarian support and impact
The deployment forms part of the UK’s wider response, which includes £5 million of humanitarian support for relief and recovery efforts. The package will support Nepal’s response through a combination of UN, Red Cross and NGO interventions. The team will also work with families in the UK concerned about loved ones in the affected area.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said: “The scenes from Nepal are devastating, and our thoughts remain with everyone affected. The safety and welfare of British nationals is our top priority. That is why we are deploying a Rapid Deployment Team to Nepal to provide additional support on the ground for British nationals and their families at what is an incredibly difficult time.”
Two teenagers, a 13-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy, are among the 33 British nationals believed to be unaccounted for. Bishal Nath Upreti, president of the Nepal Centre for Disaster Management, described the scene as like a “tsunami from the sky” and said villages had been “completely wiped out”.
