Last week marked the one-week anniversary of the landslides and floods that struck the Nepal-Tibet border region, with the death toll surpassing 1,100.
As of 9 a.m. local time on September 2, reports from international media, including CNN, citing the Nepal National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), indicated that the number of confirmed deaths in Nepal rose from 1,050 to 1,114, while the number of missing persons reached 3,916. Including 16 fatalities and 546 missing individuals from Tibet, the total death toll from the landslides and floods in both Nepal and China now stands at 1,130, with 4,462 people unaccounted for.
The floods have particularly impacted workers at major hydropower plants in Nepal. The Nepal Independent Power Producers Association reported that 987 workers are currently missing from 11 hydropower plants located in the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river basins. The Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project, the largest foreign investment project in Nepal, being constructed by Doosan Enerbility and Korea South-East Power, has been hit hardest, with over 500 workers reported missing from this site alone.
In response, Nepal's rescue authorities are focusing their efforts on the hydropower plants. However, many of these facilities are situated in rugged mountainous areas, and the floods have destroyed critical infrastructure, including bridges and roads, hindering rescue operations. Even when rescuers can reach the hydropower plants, they face the challenge of clearing a significant amount of debris from tunnels to reach potential survivors.
In an interview with CNN, Nepal's Foreign Minister Shisir Kanel stated that many individuals are believed to be trapped in the tunnels of the hydropower plants, and that the Nepalese military and rescue authorities are doing their utmost to save lives. According to NDRRMA, a total of 11,993 individuals have been rescued so far.
The recent floods and landslides were triggered by a glacier collapse in the Himalayas on August 26, which caused debris flows to pour into the river basins along the Nepal-Tibet border. This resulted in significant human and material damage, including the collapse of border checkpoints between China and Nepal. The Nepalese government estimates that recovery costs from the floods will range from $4 billion to $5 billion, a sum that approaches 10% of Nepal's total economic output.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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