Nepal has observed a national day of mourning for more than 1,300 people who died in devastating flash floods and landslides along the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26.
Government offices across the country lowered their national flags to half-mast on September 7, as families of the victims concluded a 13-day mourning period in accordance with Hindu tradition.
The disaster was triggered by the collapse of a glacier and surrounding rock in the Himalayas, sending a massive surge of water, mud and debris through communities along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river systems.
The floods destroyed homes, roads, bridges and hydropower facilities, while also severely damaging the Gyirong border crossing between Nepal and China’s Tibet Autonomous Region.
Authorities continue to search for thousands of people who remain unaccounted for, including foreign nationals who were in the region for trekking and religious pilgrimages.
Rescue operations have involved Nepalese security forces as well as teams and specialists from several countries, with crews using helicopters, heavy equipment and tunnel-rescue techniques to reach areas buried under mud and debris.
The catastrophe has also raised concerns over the vulnerability of Himalayan communities and infrastructure to increasingly severe climate-related disasters, particularly as glaciers and permafrost continue to weaken in a warming region.
(Photo Courtesy: Saudi Gazette)
