Everything We Know About The Deadly Nepal Floods That Killed More Than 950 People & Left 54 M'sians Missing

On Wednesday (26 August), catastrophic flash floods ravaged mountainous areas along the Nepal-Tibet border. A huge surge of water, accompanied by mudslides carrying rocks and debris, swept through villages and destroyed almost everything in its path.

As of today, 995 people have been confirmed dead, while more than 4,000 remain unaccounted for. However, the figures are likely to change, which is not uncommon following a major disaster.

What exactly happened?

Image Credit: Malay Mail

According to The Guardian, Nepal's Foreign Minister, Shisir Khanal, said initial reports suggested the devastating floods may have been triggered by an earthquake that caused a landslide.

However, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said a glacial collapse was responsible for both the 5.2-magnitude seismic event and the flooding itself.

The collapse unleashed a massive surge of water through the Lhende Khola and Bhotekoshi river valleys at extreme speeds, destroying villages and critical infrastructure across five districts: Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha and Chitwan.

54 Malaysians among thousands still missing

Image Credit: SCMP

As reported by NST, more than 10 countries have reported citizens who remain unaccounted for following the disaster.

The Nepal Tourism Board said 51 Malaysians are still missing in Nepal, while Chinese state media reported that three other Malaysians are unaccounted for in Tibet.

Below are some of the countries with large numbers of citizens still reported missing:

Nepal

• 639 workers from hydropower projects remain missing
• 45 Nepali Army personnel remain unaccounted for
• 38 police officers are missing
• 18 customs and immigration officers are missing
• 1,158 people are missing in Nuwakot district
• 104 Nepali nationals are reported missing in Tibet

China

• Nearly 100 Chinese nationals were reported missing in Nepal
• Eight Chinese nationals remain missing, while 16 have been rescued

India

• 275 Indian citizens remain missing
• An additional 128 persons of Indian origin are unaccounted for
• 49 Indian nationals are reported missing in Tibet

United States

• Approximately 85 US citizens remain missing
• The US State Department said nine have been rescued
• The Nepal Tourism Board previously reported 65 Americans missing and two rescued
• Eighteen US citizens remain missing in Tibet

Australia

• Forty-two Australians were reported missing as of Sunday

United Kingdom

• Thirty-three British nationals were reported missing in Nepal
• Fifteen others remain unaccounted for in Tibet

Latvia

• Twenty-nine Latvians are missing in Nepal
• Thirty-three others remain unaccounted for in Tibet

Other countries with citizens still reported missing include Vietnam, Portugal, South Africa, Japan, New Zealand, France, Spain, Belgium, Hungary, the Netherlands, Italy, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Finland.

Malaysia awaiting approval to deploy rescue team

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said Malaysia has sought permission from Nepal to deploy the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) to assist in the search for Malaysians who remain uncontactable.

As of yesterday (31 August), the SMART team was still awaiting feedback from the Nepalese government on whether it was ready to receive Malaysian rescuers to assist with ongoing operations.

Featured Image Credit: CNN, Reuters