Flooding in the Himalayas

At least 3,000 missing – Nepal appeals for body freezers

The number of missing after the disaster in the Himalayas has been written up to at least 3,000 people, reports CNN. Over 675 have been confirmed dead.

At a press conference, Nepal's Foreign Minister Shisir Kanal says that he has asked foreign governments for freezers where the rapidly decomposing bodies can be stored.

He also testifies to the difficulties that rescue workers are facing. Some of the hardest-hit areas can only be reached by helicopters that have to navigate between the high mountains.

- Our helicopters have to queue just to be able to fly through the narrow mountain passages, he says. 

Families in uncertainty – relatives may have been swept to India

At least 2,400 people are still missing after the massive mudslides and floods in Nepal and Tibet. On Friday, local authorities confirmed that over 623 people have died.

But the death toll is expected to rise in the near future. Many of the missing are feared to have died and been swept far from Nepal – all the way to India – in the tsunami-like wave, writes AFP.

Among the missing are 933 workers who are trapped in a hydroelectric power plant, where rescue workers are struggling to dig a tunnel. But the operation is a race against time and relatives are living in great uncertainty.

Samjhana Thing says she has been waiting for three days for news about her missing brother.

– We know nothing. Hopefully he is in a safe place, she says.

For those who survived the natural disaster, a difficult time awaits. Many homes and belongings have been completely destroyed and the Nepal Red Cross fears that at least 93,000 people are in urgent need of help.

Mountain guide Ziha captured the glacier collapse on film: “Like explosive charges”

The moment when the glacier piece broke loose and caused the flood disaster in the Himalayas was captured on film. This is reported by the New York Times, which has also published the video.

They have spoken to mountain guide Ziha Yitie who heard a loud noise on Wednesday while he was out with a group. He was quickly up with his camera and captured how pieces of ice came loose from the glacier.

– It sounded like explosive charges detonating inside the mountains, says Ziha.

Several minutes after the first blast, a “deafening roar” was heard from when the avalanche was triggered.

Satellite images show how a 600-meter-wide section of the glacier has broken loose from the mountain. The ice blocks fell two kilometers into the Lhende Khola river, which quickly flooded a large area downstream.

More than 2,400 people are missing after the disaster and more than 600 people have been confirmed dead. Many of the victims are feared to be trapped under a thick layer of mud.

The natural disaster in the Himalayas — it’s about the matter

• Floods and landslides in Nepal and Tibet after a glacier collapse have caused at least 623 deaths and more than 2,400 are missing, according to local authorities.
• A 600-meter-wide section of the glacier broke loose and fell into the Lhende Khola river, causing the flood disaster in the Himalayas.
• At least 933 workers are trapped in a hydroelectric power plant and more than 500 foreign nationals are missing, including two people from Sweden.
• Rescue efforts are being hampered by destroyed roads and bridges, and more than 93,000 people are in urgent need of help, according to the Red Cross.
• Authorities warned of new floods after a lake formed from blocked rivers and a dam burst in Tibet.