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Rescuers work outside a hydropower station in Rasuwa, Nepal on Thursday, as the search continues for people who injured or killed in the massive flooding last week. Nepal’s foreign ministry says around 12,000 people have been rescued so far.Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters
Canadian officials are expected to provide new details on Thursday about the country’s response to the devastating flooding and mudslides in Nepal that have killed at least 1,252 people and left around 4,200 others missing.
As of earlier this week, at least 30 Canadians and permanent residents were still missing, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, after a glacial collapse triggered the massive flooding that tore through the Himalayan border between Nepal and Tibet on Aug. 26. One Canadian who was previously missing had been found, she said.
Canadian families still waiting for answers a week after deadly flash flood in Nepal
Nepali officials noted Thursday that a total of 583 foreign officials remain unaccounted for. Many of them had travelled to the remote mountainous region as religious pilgrims and trekkers, before the torrent of rock, ice, mud and debris cascaded downriver, sweeping through bridges and vehicles and pulverizing thousands of buildings and homes.
China has put the death toll on the Tibetan side at 21, with 541 others listed as missing.
Both China and Nepal have said the floods were a result of climate change, with global emissions warming the Himalayas faster than many other parts of the world.
Rescue efforts stepped up at a tunnel in Nepal’s Rasuwa district on Wednesday, a week after a glacier collapse in the Himalayas unleashed deadly flash floods.
Reuters
As of Monday, Ms. Anand said 10 officials, including consular staff and at least one member of the RCMP, had arrived in Nepal to support affected Canadians. The federal government has allocated $5-million for emergency relief and humanitarian assistance toward the catastrophe.
More than 9,300 Nepali army troops have been on the ground in the affected areas for search and rescue missions, clearing blocked roads, providing medical treatment and helping with the management of discovered bodies.
Nepal’s foreign ministry said around 12,000 people have been rescued so far, at least 300 of whom are foreign nationals.
With a report from Reuters