Almost a week after a glacier collapse and massive flood, rescuers in Nepal and Tibet are still searching for some 5,000 missing people. Hundreds could be trapped in tunnels. Floods are making rescue more difficult.
Image: Arun Sankar/AFP
Where there were once roads, there is now mud, rocks and debris. A massive flood of ice, water and debris devastated towns in Himalayan valleys along the border between Nepal and Tibet. More than 900 people have died, and nearly 5,000 are missing. Family members are desperately waiting for news.
Image: Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP Photo/picture alliance
Rescuers and soldiers are focusing their efforts on 11 hydroelectric projects in Rasuwa and Nuwakot, where more than 900 workers are missing. Many could be trapped in blocked tunnels deep underground. Night and day, excavators have been clearing mud and rocks. Three bodies have already been recovered.
Image: Prime Minister Secretariat, Nepal/AFP
With controlled blasts, excavators and floodlights, rescue crews have been trying to clear water, mud and debris from the entrances to tunnels. “A large amount of debris has been deposited and that is posing us a big challenge to open the tunnel,” army spokesman Raja Ram Basnet told the Reuters news agency. “Our main focus is on opening the tunnels.”
Image: Arun Sankar/AFP
Thousands of people remain missing. Two days after the disaster, Maraval Nagappan traveled to Nepal to find his son. He has looked in rescue centers and morgues, covering dozens of kilometers through the disaster zone — to no avail so far. His son was leading a party of 49 pilgrims to Mount Kailash. “I don’t know whether he is alive or dead,” he told The Associated Press, refusing to give up hope.
Image: Dar Yasin/AP Photo/picture alliance
Rescue teams with search dogs have been looking for missing people for days. Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah said the flood was an “unprecedented and devastating natural disaster.” About 21,000 security personnel are on the ground and there are also many civilian rescuers and volunteers. Bad weather, difficult terrain and ongoing risks have made the rescue operation all the more difficult.
Image: CNS/AFP
A large-scale search is also underway across the border in Tibet, an autonomous region of China. According to Chinese state television, more than 2,100 rescue workers have been mobilized. At least 220 million yuan ($33 million/€28 million) has been allocated to disaster relief. More than 260 foreigners from over 20 countries are listed as missing in Tibet.
Image: CNS/AFP
Nepalese soldiers have been deployed to load supplies onto helicopters to transport them to areas affected by flash floods and mudslides in Trishuli, in the Nuwakot District of Nepal.
Image: Navesh Chitrakar/REUTERS
The rescue workers have had to suspend their operations several times due to bad weather. New lakes have formed. If a body of water overflows or its natural barrier breaks, more floods could threaten the valley and the rescuers. Eight areas are particularly at risk of landslides.
Image: Prakash Mathema/AFP
According to experts, the flood was triggered by the instability of a glacier caused by global warming. The disaster has highlighted another threat to the Tibetan Plateau cryosphere, an umbrella term for those parts of Earth’s surface where water is in solid form. As temperatures rise, ice is melting and can cause rocks and water to suddenly rush down into a valley — with devastating consequences.
Image: Arun Sankar/AFP
While experts debate the impact of global warming on glaciers and discuss warning systems, every minute is vital for rescue workers. People trapped in tunnels or beneath rubble will be waiting for them to arrive. Thousands of families are clinging to hope of finding their relatives alive.
Image: Arun Sankar/AFP10 images1 | 1010 imageshttps://p.dw.com/p/5JhwP
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