The ‘major impact’ of the flood disaster in Nepal was highlighted due to the large number of fatalities

The flood disaster occurred on the border between Nepal and the Tibet autonomous region in China.

This is thought to have been caused by the collapse of glaciers and the resulting landslides, which resulted in the destruction of entire communities as well as major infrastructure including bridges and roads.

On Friday, the Nepalese government cited figures from the UN aid coordination office Ocha said 538 people died, while nearly 3,750 people were rescued. About 1,000 people are still missing, many of whom are thought to be tourists.

China’s Tibet autonomous region was also affected and about 560 people remained missing there, according to authorities.

Lila Pieters Yahia, UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal who visited the disaster zone, said search and rescue efforts were continuing.

“We saw people just being rescued as we walked and visited the site, one of the sites that was badly damaged,” he said. “We saw a truck full of people, whole families just being rescued and I can tell you it was very, very emotional.”

His visit was interrupted after a new flood warning was issued.

Relief efforts

Relief teams have been working around the clock to reach communities isolated by the disaster in Nepal’s Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading districts.

The UN is supporting the relief effort with emergency food rations, medical equipment for around 10,000 people for three months, as well as tents and logistical support. It also provides satellite imagery and analysis of flood-affected areas.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of the risk of disease. “As always, when we face a disaster of this magnitude and we have to evacuate, there is overcrowding, and we may experience disruptions to water, sanitation and health services, and that can increase the risk of infectious diseases,” spokesman Tarik Jašarević said in Geneva.

UN Children’s Fund (UNICEFSpokesman ) Ricardo Pires told reporters that although 18 schools had been completely destroyed and another 20 damaged, “dozens more schools are located near the riverbank and are still at high risk,” meaning some 10,000 school-age children in the region need support to continue their education.

Areas affected by disasters

The area was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in April 2015, which killed more than 8,800 people.

Last October, heavy rains caused major flooding and landslides in eastern and central Nepal, affecting more than 30,000 people.

Kamal Kishore, Head of the UN Office of Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) highlighted the seriousness of the disaster. “In our memory, we haven’t seen a mountain disaster like this for a long time,” he said, adding that “the impact on lives, livelihoods, buildings, infrastructure, bridges, hydroelectric projects, power plants, is truly enormous. And I think we can still overcome the magnitude of the damage that occurred.”

He added that the current situation is characterized by “very high risks as well as a lot of uncertainty.”

“This is a unique challenge for the emergency response itself, because in a sense, the disaster is not completely over,” he stressed.

The floods “once again highlight how fragile mountain ecosystems are and how difficult it is to build early warning systems in mountain environments,” focusing on a series of persistent hazards.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) working with the UN in Nepal said they were “very, very concerned about this secondary flooding.”

The IFRC believes that at least 93,000 people have been affected and are in “dire need.”