1.6M affected, 1,050 killed by devastating flash floods in Nepal

Around 1.6 million people have been affected by the devastating flash floods, which have killed 1,050 people and left nearly 4,000 missing in Nepal, local media reported, citing the government’s preliminary situation report released Tuesday.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) identified Rasuwa and Nuwakot as the worst-affected districts. Dhading, Gorkha and Chitwan were listed as moderately affected, the local English daily Kathmandu Post reported.

The highest number of bodies, 321, were recovered in Chitwan, followed by Nawalparasi East with 216, Nawalparasi West with 170 and Nuwakot with 142.

Some 3,916 people have been reported missing from 62 districts across the country.

Of those reported missing, 62% were Nepali nationals traveling in groups, including domestic tourists, while 17% were employees of government agencies and 15% were foreign nationals.

About 43,000 women and girls in Nepal urgently need humanitarian assistance following the flash floods that swept through parts of the country last week, according to UN Women.

The disaster, the UN agency said, has disproportionately affected women and girls, particularly those who were already vulnerable because of poverty, disability, pregnancy, limited access to information and a lack of resources.

“Pregnant women, lactating women, people with disabilities, the people we would normally support – are gone, washed away, because they could not run to higher ground,” one women-led organization working in affected communities told UN Women.

Massive floods have directly or indirectly affected an estimated 157,050 women and girls living in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts.

The overall death toll from flash floods and mudslides in the Himalayas reached 1,066 on Tuesday, a week after the disaster struck the border region between Nepal and China, according to official data.

Data from Nepal and China showed that some 4,462 people, including 844 foreigners, remained missing.

Chinese authorities confirmed 16 deaths, while the search continued for 546 people reported missing, including 261 foreigners.