Hopes fade for survivors after Nepal glacier collapse floods

Kathmandu, Nepal. Hopes of finding survivors among nearly 4,000 people missing after a glacier collapse triggered flash floods in Nepal were fading on Wednesday, authorities said.

At least 1,114 people have been killed in the disaster, which devastated towns and valleys near the Chinese border.

Search for survivors

“The hope of finding survivors is decreasing,” Phanindra Paudel, a senior official at the government’s National Emergency Operation Center, said.

“We pray and are hopeful. Hope is hope!” he said.

Officials fear many of those missing are buried beneath debris left by the floods.

Hydropower tunnel operations

Rescuers were trying to locate survivors believed to be trapped in tunnels at several hydroelectric plants, army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet said.

The plants’ powerhouses include spaces and rooms where people can stay. Authorities said 279 people had been rescued from hydropower project ruins, while at least 639 others remained missing, with some believed to be inside tunnels.

Specialised rescue teams from India, China and the United States were participating in the tunnel rescue efforts.

“The plan today is to get on a helicopter and go to the hydro tunnels where they believe there’s still life,” Ferrin Cole, a member of the US crisis response team in Nepal, told ANI news agency.

“We have high-technology listening equipment to listen for sounds of life. And then the safety teams to go in and check,” Cole said.

Declining prospects

Binoj Basnet, a retired senior army general who oversaw search and rescue operations after Nepal’s 2015 earthquake, said the chances of finding survivors were declining.

“Looking at the nature of the disaster and the area which has been hit by the flood, as days go by there are less chances of human survivors,” he said.

Across the border in Tibet, China’s official toll has remained unchanged since Sunday at 16 dead and 546 missing.