Nepal flood leaves 600+ dead, $5B rebuild bill
Shafaq News- Kathmandu
At least 633 people have been killed and 2,980 remain missing after the August 26 Himalayan flood across Nepal and China's Tibet region, according to official figures released on Saturday.
Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority put the country's toll at 626 dead and 2,426 missing, while the Xizang Autonomous Region Emergency Management Department reported seven deaths and 554 missing in Gyirong County. Roughly 540 foreign nationals remain unaccounted for.
Nepal will need $4 billion to $5 billion to rebuild, Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle told Reuters. The disaster damaged roads, bridges, buildings, and hydropower facilities accounting for more than 12% of the country's generating capacity, with the reconstruction estimate equivalent to as much as roughly 10% of Nepal's economy.
Kathmandu is also seeking specialized foreign technical assistance for tunnel rescues, reopening transport and communication routes, identifying bodies, DNA testing, and preserving remains. India has sent three flights carrying about 60 tons of relief supplies and plans to dispatch tunnel-rescue and medical teams, according to its Foreign Ministry. New Delhi has also offered disaster-response personnel and prefabricated bridges to help restore access.
China has called for international rescue cooperation while teams search the devastated Gyirong border crossing. Its Water Resources Ministry reported that one upstream lake had shrunk, reducing the immediate risk, though another larger, unspecified body of water remains under observation.
