The death toll from flooding in Nepal has passed 600, with almost 2,500 people still missing, as a British rapid deployment team arrives to support rescue efforts.
Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said on Saturday (August 29) that 626 people were confirmed dead, while almost 2,500 people were missing. Chinese state media reported seven people dead and 554 missing in Tibet.
Helicopter rescues suspended
Helicopter rescues have been suspended due to poor weather, hampering efforts to find survivors, Nepal Army spokesman Brigadier General Raja Ram Basnet said. A British rapid deployment team is due to arrive in Kathmandu on Saturday to provide support for British nationals and their families.
More than 30 British nationals are among hundreds of people missing and feared dead after flooding in the Rasuwa district, which borders China's Tibet region. The team, consisting of specially trained crisis response staff, will work alongside the British embassy and local authorities.
UK support package
The team will help 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 consular operations. The UK's wider response includes £5 million of humanitarian support.
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."
Rescue efforts continue
Mr Basnet said rescue efforts were continuing at a hydropower construction plant, where more than 100 people are believed trapped in a mud-filled tunnel. Rescue efforts had been hampered by fears of more flooding from a lake formed by the glacier collapse which sparked the flooding on Wednesday.
The Chinese Ministry of Water Resources said water levels had dropped by 10 metres from Thursday morning to Friday, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Two teenagers, a 13-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy, are among the 33 British nationals believed to be unaccounted for.
Essex nurse Rajendra Pudasaini, president of the Non-Resident Nepali Association UK, said his relatives were "swept away" by the floods, as he launched a fundraiser. He told the Press Association that Nepal was witnessing an "irreplaceable loss" and the country was "paying the price for global warming". 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".
Nepalese officials said bridges have been destroyed and nearly 25 miles of roads damaged, complicating search efforts. A number of those missing had been making a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, Nepalese tour operator The Trekkers' Society said, including nine British nationals on one of its tours. The FCDO 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."
