Rescuers are searching for dozens of missing British nationals in Nepal, amid fears that more floods could hit the devastated area. More than 30 British nationals are among hundreds of people missing and feared dead as rescue efforts continue following flooding in the Rasuwa district, which borders China's autonomous region of Tibet.
Recovery and Rescue Efforts
In an update on Thursday evening, Nepal Police said 389 bodies had been recovered and that the number of injured and rescued people had reached 466. Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said the number of out-of-contact foreign nationals had increased to 517.
Officials have warned of a possible further flooding risk from a lake of rising water at the flood site along the China-Nepal border. China has warned that a barrier lake formed at the confluence of the Tsogyal and Purupqiangzangbu rivers is overflowing and could burst. NDRRMA said satellite information from China suggested the river was "blocked" and a lake had formed near the site of the floods.
UK Response and Aid
The UK has offered £5 million to help the Nepalese government amid a "very distressing and devastating situation", the Prime Minister said. The King said he and the Queen were "heartbroken" and sent their "most profound sympathy" to those affected.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said on Thursday evening that the FCDO's crisis centre was working "around the clock" to help Britons affected by the floods. In a post on social media Mr Miliband said: "We've offered an initial £5 million to help with the response to the effort in Nepal. And indeed we've also made an offer in my conversation with the foreign minister from Nepal this morning of search and rescue and other help should the Nepalese need it."
Impact and Personal Stories
Flash floods on Wednesday 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.
Two teenagers, a 13-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy, are among the 33 British nationals believed to be unaccounted for. An Essex nurse said his relatives were "swept away" by the floods, as he launched a fundraiser to support those affected by the disaster. Rajendra Pudasaini, president of the Non-Resident Nepali Association UK, said Nepal was witnessing an "irreplaceable loss", adding that the country was "paying the price for global warming".
The nurse, who works at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, told the Press Association: "My wife's auntie and uncle, and their granddaughter and her husband are missing, and my godson as well. They're gone. The speed the water came, they couldn't be saved, they were just swept away. The town and the villages were swept away, it's a tragic thing."
Bishal Nath Upreti, 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". Nepalese officials said bridges have been destroyed and nearly 25 miles of roads have been damaged, which has complicated search efforts.
Missing Pilgrims and International Impact
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.
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".
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. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: "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."
