Most arrive with nothing except the clothes they're wearing. As rescue efforts in communities buried by catastrophic flash floods along the border between Nepal and China entered their fourth day on Saturday, authorities continued finding survivors and transporting them to safety. At relief centers, families wait anxiously for news of their loved ones as the death toll and the number of people unaccounted for continue to rise, per the AP. After Nepali authorities updated their figures on Saturday, the combined toll in Nepal and Tibet rose to 633 dead and nearly 3,000 people missing. Chinese authorities have reported seven deaths and more than 550 missing.
More than 3,700 people have been rescued in Nepal so far. In Nuwakot, one of Nepal's districts devastated by the floods, helicopters resumed operations before noon on Saturday after poor weather temporarily hampered aerial rescue activities. Some helicopters were loaded with boxes and bags of aid, including clothes, instant noodles, crackers, and rice; others returned from the flood-hit areas carrying survivors. The evacuees had been brought from the nearby community of Trishuli. As people were still leaving Trishuli, however, some residents were returning to see what could be salvaged from their decimated homes. One boy walked out of the village carrying muddy sandals from his house.
Another woman who returned found her dog, Sweetie, whom she was forced to leave behind when the floods came. She sat on the ground petting her dog and feeding her water from a bottle. In Kathmandu, Nepal's capital, relatives and friends gathered outside the main government hospital starting in the early morning, desperately searching for news of missing loved ones. Many shuffled between the help desk and the hospital notice board, clutching photos and scanning lists of injured patients.
Search and rescue efforts continued at several locations in Nepal and China's Tibet, including the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project in Nepal's Rasuwa district and the severely damaged Gyirong border crossing on the Chinese side. A rep for Nepal's army, Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet, said rescue efforts would continue at the hydropower construction site, where authorities believe more than 100 people are trapped in a tunnel filled with thick mud. He said rescue teams had also been forced to relocate temporarily when authorities issued warnings about possible further flooding. More here.
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