KATHMANDU: The death toll from floods and landslides in Nepal has risen to 543, while hundreds of people remain missing, according to officials.
The Red Cross and Red Crescent warned that conditions in the affected areas remain extremely serious. The destruction of roads and bridges has left some communities accessible only by helicopter, complicating search-and-rescue and relief operations.
Despite the worsening situation, Nepal’s Foreign Ministry said the country does not currently require assistance from other nations for relief efforts. A ministry spokesperson said offers of assistance from other countries were a natural response to the disaster.
Nepal’s security agencies are conducting search-and-rescue operations, officials said.
Military authorities temporarily suspended relief operations after a lake formed by debris blocking the Bhote Koshi River began overflowing near the Nepal-Tibet border. Officials said the lake’s banks had begun to break, raising the risk of further flooding.
A large mass of ice, rocks, mud and debris reportedly entered Himalayan rivers after a major glacier collapse, increasing the threat of additional destruction in areas already affected by floods and landslides.
On the other hand, two people have been arrested in Nepal after allegedly stealing gold earrings from the ears of a woman’s body following devastating floods in the country, according to media reports.
The floods have caused widespread destruction across Nepal, severely damaging infrastructure and killing more than 450 people. Videos showing the devastation have circulated widely on social media.
One video that went viral showed two people using a stick to pull a body floating in floodwater toward the riverbank. They were then seen removing gold earrings from the woman’s ears.
Police arrested the two suspects after the video attracted widespread attention on social media.
More read, Nepal flood death toll rises to 362 as hundreds remain missing
Media reports said more than 1,500 people remain missing following devastating floods in areas along the Nepal-China border.
