DistantNews
Support us
🇹🇭 Thailand /Disasters & Emergencies

Nepali rescuers buoyed by miracle finds as harsh conditions persist

From Bangkok Post · () English

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

At a glance

Newswire Named sources Ongoing story
  • Search operations in Nepal entered their 12th day after floods and a glacial collapse killed at least 1,372 people and left more than 5,500 missing across Nepal and China.
  • Rescuers found four survivors, including three hydropower workers recovered from tunnels and a 64-year-old woman pulled from her mud-covered home.
  • Nepal faces major reconstruction and aid challenges, while authorities continue identifying bodies and restoring electricity in affected areas.

Four people have been found alive during Nepal’s 12-day search for victims of catastrophic floods, offering rare hope amid a disaster that has killed at least 1,372 people and left more than 5,500 missing across Nepal and China.

Search and rescue is going on at the tunnels despite geography, adverse weather and lack of connectivity.

· Biraj Bhakta ShresthaNepal’s energy minister described the conditions facing rescuers in the hydropower tunnels.

Two survivors were found on Saturday, including a Chinese man pulled from deep inside a hydropower tunnel and 64-year-old Chandrika Shrestha, rescued from her mud-covered home. Two Nepali hydropower workers had been saved the previous day from the Trishuli 3A tunnel. Three of the four survivors were found in hydropower tunnels, where the government initially believed more than 100 workers could be alive.

“Search and rescue is going on at the tunnels despite geography, adverse weather and lack of connectivity,” Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha told AFP. He said rescue workers faced “multiple challenges” as they searched across areas damaged by the wall of icy water and debris that tore through mountain districts on Aug. 26.

given hope to the entire nation

· Balendra ShahNepal’s prime minister referred to the rescue of Chandrika Shrestha.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah said Shrestha’s rescue had “given hope to the entire nation”. Search teams continue working at several sites, while at least 12 hydropower projects have been affected. Shrestha said crews were also trying to restore electricity, including through solar power in places that remained unreachable.

Places that have unreachable, we've tried to restore power with solar

· Biraj Bhakta ShresthaThe energy minister described efforts to restore electricity in isolated areas.

Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal called the disaster a “Himalayan tsunami” and warned that reconstruction could cost billions of dollars. The United Nations has launched a $50 million appeal to support more than 84,000 people. With mortuaries overflowing, Nepal has buried hundreds of bodies in mass graves after collecting DNA samples for future identification. Only about 100 bodies have been identified and returned to families. Nepal will observe a national day of mourning on Monday, the 13th day after the disaster, in keeping with a traditional Hindu mourning period.

Himalayan tsunami

· Shisir KhanalNepal’s foreign minister used the phrase to describe the scale of the disaster.
About this summary

Originally published by Bangkok Post 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.

More Stories

From Our Blog