Race to rescue thousands missing in Nepal flood disaster

Photo — Muhammad Amdad Hossain / Pexels

Catastrophic flash floods and landslides in Nepal have triggered one of the most urgent global disaster responses, with authorities and volunteers racing to locate an estimated 5,000 missing people across affected regions.[2][14] The deluge has severely damaged critical infrastructure, including hydropower projects where hundreds of workers are believed to be trapped in tunnels filled with mud and debris, prompting intense efforts to pump out water and clear access routes.[2][15] Search-and-rescue operations are being hampered by treacherous terrain, ongoing rainfall, and rapidly hardening mud that makes it increasingly difficult to reach survivors, leading officials and aid agencies to warn that the casualty toll is likely to rise.[14][15] The humanitarian stakes have drawn international support, with South Korea announcing the deployment of a 44-member emergency relief team to assist Nepal in search-and-rescue and relief operations in hard-hit areas such as Rasuwa district.[7] As local and foreign teams work around the clock, authorities are simultaneously grappling with displacement of communities, damage to energy infrastructure, and the risk of further landslides, underscoring the disaster’s wider regional and economic implications.[2][14][15]

Sources: NBC News, BBC News, The Korea Herald, The Straits Times, 10 Things Global News