Islamabad (GNP): Syed Nayyar Bokhari and President’s Spokesperson Murtaza Solangi visited the Embassy of Nepal in Islamabad to convey the condolences of the President and the people of Pakistan over the loss and devastation caused by last week’s massive flooding following landslides and the bursting of a glacier along the China-Nepal border.
Ambassador of Nepal to Pakistan, Rita Dhital received them and expressed her appreciation for the solidarity and support extended by the Government and people of Pakistan to Nepal during this difficult time.
Syed Nayyar Bokhari and Murtaza Solangi also recorded messages of condolence and solidarity in the Visitors’ Book.
Nepal’s rescue teams, supported by experts from China and India, worked through the night to reach hundreds of people believed trapped inside blocked hydropower project tunnels following last week’s devastating Himalayan flood that struck the Nepal-Tibet border region.
The flood, triggered by a glacier collapse on Wednesday, sent a massive deluge of ice, rock, mud and debris through valley towns and villages in Nepal and across the border into China. The disaster has killed more than 900 people, with nearly 5,000 still missing across both countries.
Hundreds of bodies, many unidentified, have already been buried in shallow graves as decomposition set in amid humid weather in Nepal’s plains after victims were swept down from the mountains.
Nepali authorities said Monday that 903 people had died and 4,247 remained missing, including 933 workers unaccounted for at hydropower projects in the flood-hit region.
Rescue efforts are now centred on roughly half a dozen hydropower tunnels blocked by mud and rock debris, where hundreds of workers are believed to be trapped. Teams have used earth-moving equipment through the night to clear pathways into the tunnels, while soldiers have dug pits with torchlight to locate entry points.
Nepal army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet said a large amount of debris deposited at the tunnel sites was posing a significant challenge to reopening them, adding that clearing the tunnels remained the army’s main focus. The Red Cross has estimated that more than 90,000 people are likely to have been affected by the disaster overall.
Also read: Nepal Rescue Teams Race to Reach Hundreds Trapped in Flooded Tunnels
Prime Minister Balendra Shah described the flood as an unprecedented and devastating natural disaster, noting that compiling a complete damage assessment remained difficult given the scale of destruction. He said nearly 21,000 security personnel, alongside civilian workers and volunteers, were involved in the ongoing rescue operations despite adverse weather and difficult terrain.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
