According to Nepal’s Disaster Management Agency, the death toll from the country’s devastating floods has risen to 734, while 2,498 people are still missing. While the UN representative in Nepal, Leila Peters Yahya, told the BBC that “relief supplies are arriving, but reaching the victims is proving extremely difficult.”
Rescue operations are continuing for the fifth day and more than 3,700 people have been moved to safer places so far.
According to authorities, access to the affected areas remains a major challenge due to severe flooding and landslides. More than 18,000 aid workers are engaged in rescue operations in Nepal, while bad weather and difficult roads are hindering relief activities.
Authorities have stepped up helicopter rescue efforts and are considering using drones for rescue operations in some areas.
A large number of foreign nationals have also been affected by the floods. According to the Nepal Tourism Board, 261 foreign nationals have been rescued, while another 320 are still missing. Those rescued include 167 Indians, 40 Chinese, eight Ukrainians, four Germans, four Maltese and three Americans.
On the other hand, the UN representative in Nepal, Leila Peters Yahya, told the BBC that ‘relief supplies are arriving, but it is proving extremely difficult to reach the victims.’
According to Yahya, ‘Rescue teams from India and China that arrived yesterday are trying to provide additional assistance, but the poor condition of the roads is a major obstacle in the relief work.’
He said that ‘access is very difficult, that is why it is also becoming difficult to reach the people.’
According to him, the government has started airlifting supplies by helicopter, while delivering aid by drone is also being considered.
Yahya added that “bad weather conditions are also becoming a problem for us.”
Earlier, a statement issued by the Nepal Meteorological Department said that “continuous heavy rain since the flash floods on Wednesday have made search and rescue operations more difficult.”
According to the Meteorological Department, “rain is likely to continue in the area for the next few days.”
According to the authorities, “a ‘yellow rain warning’ has been issued for the area which will remain in place until at least Monday and people have been advised to stay informed of the latest weather conditions.”
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