UN calls for $50 million to aid Nepal flood victims

(Central News Agency, Kathmandu, comprehensive foreign news report on the 4th) The United Nations today called on all walks of life to lend a helping hand, hoping to raise US$50 million to assist the more than 84,000 victims affected by devastating floods in Nepal, and warned that winter is quickly approaching.

Agence France-Presse reported that a glacier collapsed in the mountainous areas on the border between China and Nepal on August 26, triggering flash floods that killed more than 1,300 people in the two countries and left more than 5,600 people missing.

"Time is not working against them... For the survivors, the floods have taken away almost everything they need to sustain their daily lives," the UN office in Nepal said.

"The UN team in Nepal and partners are raising nearly $50 million to provide cash, food, shelter, clean water, health care and other life-saving assistance to the hardest-hit communities," the UN office in Nepal said in a statement.

"Health authorities are closely monitoring fever and diarrhea in the resettlement centre," the UN statement said.

The UN added: "Human remains and thousands of dead livestock remain in the rubble, increasing the risk of infectious disease outbreaks. Families who have lost their homes must obtain durable shelter within weeks, not months."

A preliminary assessment by the United Nations pointed out that the damage to buildings caused by the floods in Nepal reached 158 million U.S. dollars, and warned that the total loss, including damage to roads, bridges, farmland, and humanitarian aid costs, would be much higher than this.