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🇸🇬 Singapore /Disasters & Emergencies

Nepal urges tourists not to abandon the Himalayas after deadly floods

From The Straits Times · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Nepal is urging tourists to continue visiting areas unaffected by catastrophic floods as the country assesses at least 1,010 deaths and extensive infrastructure damage.
  • About 590 foreigners from 39 countries remain missing, while specialist teams from Nepal, India, China and South Korea search for workers trapped in hydropower tunnels.
  • The government says Nepal will need substantial international support for rehabilitation and reconstruction, while tourism remains vital to the economy.

Nepal is asking tourists not to abandon the Himalayas even as the country counts the devastating cost of last week’s floods. “Our mountain trails, trekking routes are still waiting for you,” Tourism Minister Khadak Raj Paudel said in a Facebook video, using the hashtag #NepalCalling.

Our mountain trails, trekking routes are still waiting for you.

— Khadak Raj PaudelNepal’s tourism minister urged international travellers to continue visiting the country.

Paudel said visiting Nepal now would mean more than taking a holiday. “Your coming to Nepal this time does not mean only a holiday. It’s a big support to the country fighting this catastrophic tragedy of flash flood.” The appeal comes after images of destroyed villages, roads and bridges raised fears that visitors could stay away from parts of the country largely untouched by the disaster.

The floods followed a glacial collapse that sent ice, mud, rocks and water through a valley, wiping out settlements and destroying bridges, power lines, trees, vehicles and buildings. Nepal’s death toll had reached at least 1,010 by the afternoon of Sept. 1, while about 590 foreigners from 39 countries remained missing.

Your coming to Nepal this time does not mean only a holiday. It’s a big support to the country fighting this catastrophic tragedy of flash flood.

— Khadak Raj PaudelThe minister framed tourism as support for Nepal’s recovery.

Rescue operations continued at affected hydropower projects, where hundreds of workers were trapped in tunnels. Teams from Nepal, India, China and South Korea were assisting. Home Minister Sudan Gurung said rescuers had reached the upper section of one tunnel and were digging down from above the powerhouse. Authorities had “not lost hope” of finding survivors.

not lost hope

— Sudan GurungNepal’s home minister described the search for workers trapped in a hydropower tunnel.

At least 12 hydropower projects in Nuwakot and Rasuwa districts suffered damage, according to the Independent Power Producers’ Association Nepal. Helicopters and other aircraft had helped rescue 11,993 people from communities cut off after floods and landslides destroyed roads and bridges. The Foreign Ministry said the full scale of the damage was becoming clearer and that Nepal anticipated substantial international support for reconstruction. The disaster adds to pressure on an economy already facing higher fuel costs, weaker tourism and slowing growth.

This has been an exceptionally painful and difficult time for Nepal.

— Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign AffairsThe ministry described the national impact of the disaster.
About this summary

Originally published by The Straits Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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