Nepal flood kills nearly 500 as doctor warns of rescue risks

Nearly 500 people have been recovered dead after a devastating flash flood in Nepal, while more than 1,400 people remain missing on the Nepali and Tibetan sides, ORF reported. Gerda Pohl, a doctor from Styria who has worked as a volunteer in Nepal for 13 years, is helping provide medical care in the disaster zone.

Pohl said she was in Kathmandu, where injured people and bodies are being taken. She described hundreds of people waiting outside Nepal’s largest government hospital for information about relatives.

Rescue operations remain dangerous because of monsoon rain and the threat of another flood wave. More than 200 security personnel died during the first flood, Pohl said. Nepal has sent up to 15,000 soldiers and police officers to assist with the rescue effort.

The flood was caused by a glacier collapse. Although warning systems exist, the flood came from across the border and swept the system away before warnings could reach the first smaller villages. Fewer people died in cities farther downstream because there was more time to issue warnings.

Pohl said Nepal had improved its emergency response since the 2015 earthquake, when 9,000 people died in one day. Rescue teams arrived within two hours this time, she said, and all helicopters were immediately placed at the government’s disposal for rescue flights.

Private organisations have so far been largely unable to take part because access to the region is blocked. Bridges have been destroyed, leaving helicopters as the only way to reach the area.

Rescue and recovery will remain the focus for several days, Pohl said. Rebuilding and supporting people who have lost everything will then take many months and require international assistance.