- Dar expresses solidarity with Nepal’s affected communities.
- UN launches $49.6m appeal for disaster victims.
- Thousands remain missing across Nepal and Tibet.
Pakistan has dispatched 100 tonnes of humanitarian assistance to Nepal as the country grapples with the devastating floods and landslides that have killed more than 1,300 people.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families and all those affected,” Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said in a statement, expressing Pakistan’s solidarity with the regional nation.
Dar said the assistance comprised tents, blankets, mats, hygiene kits and medicines to support communities affected by the disaster.
“Pakistan stands in solidarity with the Government and people of Nepal and remains ready to extend all possible support in this difficult hour,” he said.
The disaster has killed 1,341 people in Nepal, while around 4,996 remain missing, according to the country’s disaster agency.
In neighbouring Tibet, 43 people have been killed and 519 remain missing, according to Chinese state media.
The combined death toll across Nepal and China stands at 1,384, while more than 5,500 people are missing.
Officials and rescue workers have said they believe the August 26 collapse of a glacier in the upper reaches of a river trapped at least 900 people in tunnels linked to six hydropower projects.
The exact cause of the glacial collapse remains unclear, while climate change is accelerating glacial melting worldwide and increasing the risk of such disasters.
Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has described the disaster as a “Himalayan tsunami” and warned that reconstruction costs could run into billions of dollars.
The scale of the destruction has also prompted an international relief effort. The United Nations and humanitarian partners have launched a $49.6 million flash appeal to provide life-saving assistance to more than 84,000 people affected by the floods.
The catastrophe has caused extensive damage to homes, property and infrastructure. At least 387.5 billion Nepalese rupees ($2.56 billion) worth of property, housing and infrastructure were lost, according to Dharma Raj Upreti, chief of Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.
Nepal will also need to rebuild around 20,000 homes in flood-ravaged areas, with at least 7,500 destroyed, according to Upreti.
The disaster has overwhelmed mortuaries, with hundreds of bodies buried in mass graves after DNA samples were collected for future identification, according to police. Only around 100 bodies have so far been identified and handed over to families.
Nepal is due to observe a national day of mourning on Monday, the 13th day since the disaster, in line with a traditional period of mourning in Hindu rituals.
Meanwhile, Australian disaster response specialists have travelled to Nepal to assist in the search for survivors, as Canberra expressed concern over the welfare of its 36 citizens reported missing.
The catastrophe has also affected Nepal’s hydropower sector, with 11 projects located in the affected region. Access roads and above-ground infrastructure at several sites have been washed away, while commercial insurance losses could exceed $132.3 million, according to a senior official at a leading Nepali insurer.
Elsewhere in Nepal, around 450 kilometres from the district worst hit by the floods, a landslide in Appi Himal rural municipality blocked the Chaulani River, prompting authorities to urge residents to remain on high alert.
