The Red Cross has said almost 100,000 people may have been affected by Wednesday’s flash floods on the Nepal-Tibet border, which have killed more than 540 people, left another 1,900 missing, and triggered a huge rescue operation that is being hampered by fears of new flooding.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the world’s largest humanitarian network, said it feared the death toll would continue to rise as some of the hardest-hit areas remained inaccessible after roads and bridges were destroyed by the torrents.
“The trauma of this event is enormous,” David Fisher, the IFRC head of delegation for Nepal, said on Friday.
“Thousands of homes have been destroyed or suffered significant damage. We believe that at least 93,000 people have been affected and are in great need. The death toll is very high and unfortunately likely to continue to rise.”
The deadly floods occurred on Wednesday morning after an enormous section of a glacier in the Himalayas broke loose and crashed on to the valley floor in Nepal’s Langtang national park, unleashing a massive surge of water, mud, rock and ice that thundered down rivers and valleys. The resulting floods obliterated villages and destroyed power stations, roads and bridges.
Rescue teams have reported finding bodies hundreds of kilometers downstream from the disaster zone in the Chitwan district of Nepal, near the Tibetan border. Some were recovered from neighbouring India, nearly 200km downstream from the Himalayan region where the destruction began. Dozens of injured people were transported to Kathmandu for advanced medical care and more than 100 people were rescued by Nepali army personnel in helicopters.
By Friday afternoon, the death toll stood at 543 people: 538 in Nepal and five across the border in Tibet, China. Authorities in Nepal said 1,942 people were still missing, including hundreds of foreign nationals who were in the area to work, trek with guides or make a pilgrimage.
[ ‘Saved by a tree’: How a Nepali worker survived flash floodOpens in new window ]
Two Irish citizens who are missing in Nepal have been identified as Santosh Sahu and Spandan Sahu by the country’s department of tourism.
The men’s names were among a list of unaccounted for tourists published by the department on Thursday night. According to the department, Spandan is 18 and Santosh is 46.
Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed it was working to account for the two Irish citizens it said were visiting the area. It said it was closely monitoring the situation and working with partners to locate them.
“As with all consular cases, the department does not comment on the detail on individual cases,” a spokesman said.
Santosh and Spandan Sahu were part of a group travelling with Alpine Eco Trek, which offers guided tours and expeditions in Nepal. They were on a pilgrimage with 15 others to Gosainkunda, a lake considered to be sacred by Hindus and Buddhists in Nepal’s Langtang National Park, according to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon).
How deadly flash floods hit Nepal-Tibet border Video: Reuters 
A mansits next to belongings recovered from his destroyed home following the flash flood in Devighat, Nepal. Photograph: Ezra Acayan/Getty Images
Rescuers were forced to suspend operations on Friday morning after a dam of debris overflowed on Friday, increasing the risk of further flooding. Residents in Nepal’s Rasuwa district, on the border with Tibet, were seen rushing up hillsides to escape a possible surge in the river, according to witnesses.
The Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that a lake formed by piles of debris from the mudslide had begun overflowing on Friday, sending water towards the area where rescue teams were headed, and forcing a brief pause in operations.
Nepal’s steep slopes and the lush valleys below are especially vulnerable to flooding and landslides, and extreme weather events, such as intense monsoons, and melting glaciers have become more common because of warming due to human-caused climate change.
“The damage is just incredible,” Lila Pieters Yahia, the UN resident coordinator for Nepal, said on Friday, adding that more than 40 bridges had been destroyed or badly damaged and “over 40km of road completely destroyed”.
A woman is overcome with grief as she waits for her turn to board a rescue helicopter near Nepal’s border with Tibet, on Thursday. Photograph: Atul Loke/The New York Times
– Guardian