Nepal faces reconstruction of 20,000 homes after devastating floods

Nepal will have to rebuild around 20,000 homes in areas devastated by floods, authorities said on Thursday (3), as rescue teams continued to search for workers trapped in tunnels at hydroelectric projects and for thousands of people who remain missing.

The collapse of a glacier on August 26 triggered a flood of ice, rocks and mud that swept across the border region with China, destroying entire villages and leaving few homes standing and intact.

"Our preliminary estimates indicate that 7,500 homes were completely destroyed, washed away or buried under debris and mud," Dharma Raj Upreti, head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, told Reuters.

Even the houses that were still standing were not fit to be inhabited, said Upreti. Authorities estimate that around 20,000 will have to be rebuilt in other, safer locations.

"We anticipate that the resources needed for reconstruction will be substantial," Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal told ambassadors in Kathmandu.

The disaster killed at least 1,280 people, according to data released by authorities in both countries. Of the total deaths, 1,259 were recorded in Nepal, according to a police report, and 21 on the Chinese side, according to state media. At least 5,624 people are missing.

In Kathmandu, Sati Sigdel visits a hospital wall every day covered in hundreds of photographs — some of missing relatives, others of bodies found but not yet identified — in the desperate hope of getting news about her cousin.

"We put up her photo three days ago, but we haven't heard anything yet," Sigdel said of her cousin, Sweety Paithan.

Hopes of finding survivors are diminishing every day, more than a week after the disaster, although Nepali authorities continue their search.

On Wednesday night (2), some people from various regions of mountainous Nepal were carefully examining the photos on the wall of the Tribhuvan University Hospital in the capital and asking the guards nearby if they had heard the names of their relatives.

"We are waiting for a miracle," said Sapna Neupane, who was trying to contact her maternal uncle's family of four, all of whom are missing. "It's hard to just stand in front of this mural, looking at thousands of photos."

Some photos are part of posters meticulously filled with information about the missing and contact numbers, while others have handwritten notes beneath the images.

SEARCHES FOR MISSING PEOPLE CONTINUE

More than 9,300 Nepali troops were deployed in the affected areas, coordinating search and rescue operations for the injured and helping to handle bodies, clear roads and provide emergency medical care, the Army said in a statement.

An Australian medical student whose partner went missing near the Nepal-China border has called on technology companies to step up their search assistance. She wants tracking data to be shared with authorities to narrow down areas where rescuers should search.

At least 583 foreigners were missing in the floods, the Nepal government reported on Thursday. Many of them were pilgrims and trekkers.

An army official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press, said the search was continuing, with experts from India, South Korea and China, for at least 900 survivors believed to be trapped in tunnels linked to hydroelectric projects.

Army spokesman Raja Ram Basnet said two bodies were removed from the Langtang Khola hydropower plant tunnel. Australia pledged additional support and said it would also share telecommunications data with Nepali authorities.

China has sent a third shipment of aid to Nepal, including tents, blankets, medical protective suits and satellite communications equipment, the Foreign Ministry said.

Information about rescue operations in Tibet, largely reported by Chinese state media due to restrictions on foreign journalists' access to the region, declined a day after the reopening of the G216 national highway leading to the stricken area.

Tibetan activists and human rights groups accuse China of deliberately understating the death toll in the territory under its control. Beijing called the accusations a "malicious smear and sensationalism campaign."

Authorities worked to restore normal routines as much as possible, with a focus on getting children into makeshift schools.

More than a week after the floods, at least 22,000 children still need clean water, sanitation and hygiene support, according to UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund).

"Our priority is to restore normality. We are evaluating whether children can take classes at the reception centers," said Phanindra Paudel, an official at Nepal's National Emergency Operations Center.

Finding safe buildings for classes, however, was a challenge, according to teachers.

"We are looking for safe and empty buildings where we can resume classes," said Rajendra Dawadi, a school principal, who helped save around 900 students by evacuating them from the premises in time.

A magnitude 5 earthquake hit the far west of Tibet, near the border with India, on Thursday, according to the German Research Center for Geosciences. The epicenter is far from the region affected by flash floods.