Nepal is currently engaged in the grim task of burying some of the hundreds of bodies retrieved after a deadly, tsunami-like flood struck the Himalayan region. The flood, which occurred last Wednesday, swept away villages and left thousands missing. At least 797 lives were claimed in both Nepal and Tibet, with some bodies possibly swept as far as India. As of the latest reports, at least 3,048 people remain missing.
Identification and Rescue Efforts
Distraught families have flocked to rescue stations and hospitals in search of their missing relatives. Others have faced the harrowing task of identifying bodies at overflowing morgues. Nepali authorities have had to begin burials before completing the identification process due to the overwhelming number of bodies and lack of proper freezing facilities. DNA samples have been taken from the bodies to allow families to later claim them and perform traditional funeral rites.
Rescue operations are ongoing, with Nepali army troops and engineers working to reach workers believed trapped in a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric site. Workers who managed to escape described terrifying scenes as the disaster struck. Overnight rain and rising river waters have hampered rescue efforts, but conditions have since eased.
International Aid and Reconstruction
The United States and Canada have each pledged $3.6 million in humanitarian aid to Nepal, while the UK has offered $6.8 million. The UN has released $2.5 million in emergency funding, and additional aid pledges have been made by the European Union and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Nepal's Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has appealed for specialised assistance, including heavy-lift drones and technology to help locate trapped individuals, as well as forensic testing kits and freezer units to manage the bodies.
The reconstruction bill is expected to run into billions of dollars, placing a significant strain on Nepal's already pressured economy. Khanal has highlighted the inequity of Nepal suffering the extreme impacts of climate change despite having one of the world's lowest per-capita carbon emissions. The disaster underscores the rapid melting of glaciers in the Himalayas due to global warming.
