Nepal flood toll climbs to 734
The death toll from Nepal's flash floods climbed to 734 on Sunday, Aug 30 with 2,498 people still missing as authorities warned of renewed flooding after water levels in the Bhotekoshi River rose again.
Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) urged rescue teams in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and Chitwan to exercise "utmost caution" after flagging a fresh surge in the river, five days after Wednesday's disaster.
Including 16 deaths and 546 people missing across the border in Tibet, the combined toll from the twin disaster stood at 750 dead and more than 3,000 missing, according to figures from Nepali and Chinese authorities.
More than 100 workers remain trapped inside hydropower tunnels in Rasuwa and Nuwakot, with rescuers pumping air into one tunnel as rising waters hamper efforts. Nepali government data showed 573 workers were still unaccounted for at 11 project sites, out of 934 initially reported missing.
India has stepped up relief efforts, sending 68.5 tonnes of aid along with tunnel engineers, forensic experts and equipment for search and rescue in the hydropower tunnels, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu said. A fourth relief flight carrying 11 tonnes of supplies landed on Sunday.
Nepal's Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said reconstruction costs could run into "billions of dollars" and appealed for international support. The United States and Canada have each pledged about $3.6 million, Britain $6.8 million, the United Nations $2.5 million and the European Union $2.3 million.
The disaster was triggered by a glacial collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border, with Chinese experts attributing it to a fracture on Lirung Peak that set off an ice-rock avalanche and debris flow down the Trishuli river system.
