More than a week after the flood, Nepali authorities say hope of finding anyone alive in the rubble is fading fast. As of Wednesday, the death toll in the country had risen to 1,114, with roughly 4,000 people still missing, according to the Reuters news agency.
Many people are feared still trapped beneath enormous amounts of mud and rock from the disaster.
Phanindra Poudel, a senior official at Nepal’s National Emergency Operation Center, said the chance of finding survivors is diminishing by the hour. Even so, specialized teams from India, China and the United States are continuing rescue operations, holding onto a slim hope that someone could still be alive in empty spaces or chambers inside various hydropower project tunnels. The American rescue team is using advanced acoustic equipment to try to detect any signs of life or sound inside the tunnels. So far, 279 people have been rescued from the projects, but more than 639 workers remain missing.
On the Tibetan side, Chinese authorities have reported 16 deaths and 546 people missing. According to preliminary data from the U.N. Development Programme, the flood deposited roughly 2.2 million tons of debris and mud. With the chances of finding survivors diminishing, Nepal’s Prime Minister Bolendra Shah said the government’s focus is now shifting from search-and-relief operations toward rehabilitation and reconstruction. He said mental health and medical support is being provided to those affected, alongside the start of rebuilding efforts.
U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric has voiced deep concern over overcrowding in shelters, contaminated water and damaged health infrastructure, warning of a severe risk of disease outbreaks during the monsoon season. Both Nepal and China have pointed to global climate change as a cause of the devastating natural disaster, drawing the attention of the international community.