Searches are continuing for thousands of people missing after a devastating flash flood in Nepal, which has left more than 700 dead. Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said the death toll on Sunday had reached 734, with almost 2,500 people unaccounted for.
British nationals among the missing
Nepalese authorities said more than 30 British nationals are among those unaccounted for. Chinese state media on Sunday reported that 15 people from Britain were among 261 missing foreigners, though it is unclear how many are included in the Nepal figures. The same source reported 16 people dead and 546 missing in Tibet.
Two teenagers, a 13-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy, are among the 33 British nationals believed to be missing. Others with links to the UK include an NHS nurse, a Hindu priest from south London who was leading a tour in the region, and an 18-year-old from Surrey who had recently finished his A-Levels.
UK response and humanitarian support
On Saturday, a rapid deployment team from the UK arrived in Nepal to provide support for Britons and their families. The team, comprising 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, and reinforce consular operations.
The team forms part of the UK’s wider response, which includes £5 million of humanitarian support for relief and recovery efforts. The US State Department pledged 3.6 million dollars (£2.6 million) in a statement on X on Saturday.
Rescue challenges and identification efforts
The NDRRMA warned of rising water levels in the Bhote Koshi River in the Rasuwa region on Sunday. Rescue efforts had previously been hampered by fears of more flooding from a lake formed by the glacier collapse that sparked the flooding on Wednesday. Nepalese officials said bridges have been destroyed and nearly 25 miles of roads damaged, complicating search efforts.
The District Administration Office in Chitwan said it had been able to identify only four of the 233 bodies recovered. DNA samples were being taken from bodies that were “in a state of decomposition and no longer identifiable”.
Missing pilgrims and family appeals
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. Nine British nationals on one of its tours were unaccounted for: four males aged 14, 50, 50 and 54, and five women aged 40, 46, 50, 50 and 53. Tour operator Kailash Journeys said it had not been able to account for seven UK nationals travelling with the company.
Geetha Reddy is among those missing, and her husband, who is from London, told the BBC he has not heard from her since the flooding hit. She has two daughters aged 12 and 14. He said: “We’re not sure what to do. I have two little girls, and their schools are starting next week.” Bishal Nath Upreti, president of the Nepal Centre for Disaster Management, likened the scene to a “tsunami from the sky” and said villages had been “completely wiped out”.
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.”
