Flooding in Nepal and China’s Tibet has killed at least 955 people and left 4,471 others missing, according to official updates. Countries including India, Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and the European Union have sent or pledged relief supplies, funding, medical personnel, rescue workers and equipment to support Nepal.
At least 939 people have died in floods in Nepal, CNN reported, citing the latest update released on Tuesday by Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority. The authority said 3,925 people remain missing.
Nepal Tourism Board said 583 foreign nationals were among those missing. The board said 315 foreign nationals had been rescued.
Rescued foreign nationals include citizens of India, China, Germany, Bulgaria, Turkey, Italy, the United States, Malta, Switzerland, Russia, Portugal and Oman. Authorities are also in contact with five other foreign nationals: three Spaniards, one Belgian and one US citizen.
Flood deaths in China
At least 16 people have died in flooding in China, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Tuesday morning local time. CCTV said at least 546 people remain missing in China.
Chinese authorities said at a news conference on Monday that at least 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries were among those missing. The missing foreigners include 104 Nepali citizens, 49 Indians, 33 Latvians, 18 Americans and 15 British nationals.
Citizens of Canada, Australia, South Africa, Russia, Malaysia, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Estonia, France, Ireland, Finland, Lithuania, Portugal, Ukraine, Spain, Hungary and Kazakhstan are also missing, Chinese authorities said on Monday.
International assistance for Nepal
Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said India had sent several aircraft carrying relief supplies to Nepal. One flight delivered 10 tonnes of humanitarian assistance to Kathmandu, including portable generator sets, dignity kits, food packets and water purification tablets.
The same Indian flight also carried doctors, paramedics and rescue personnel.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that Australia would send humanitarian relief supplies, equipment and personnel to assist affected Nepalis. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Monday that Australia had provided a total of A$8 million, equivalent to about US$5.7 million, to Nepal since the floods began.
The European Union is providing €2 million in emergency aid for Nepal. European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib announced the assistance on Friday, saying the funds would be used for food, healthcare, clean water and sanitation.
The United Arab Emirates has sent 83 tonnes of food supplies and humanitarian essentials to Nepal, the state-run Emirates News Agency reported. UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has allocated US$10 million to support Nepal’s rapid recovery efforts, the agency said.
The United Kingdom has offered US$6.8 million to support rescue and relief operations in Nepal, British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said last week. The United Kingdom has also offered search-and-rescue support.
The US State Department said last week that it was providing more than US$3.6 million in humanitarian assistance to Nepal, including emergency food aid.
Canada is providing humanitarian assistance worth US$3.6 million for emergency relief operations in Nepal, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand announced last week.
China has also provided Nepal with “emergency cash assistance and humanitarian aid”, state news agency Xinhua reported, without giving details on the amount or type of support.
Sri Lanka has offered US$1 million to support humanitarian and relief operations in Nepal, its Foreign Ministry said last week. Vatican News reported last week that Pope Leo had also sent “specific financial assistance” for relief operations, without disclosing the amount.