The death toll from last week’s devastating flooding in Nepal near the border with China has risen to 1,204 people, with another 4,216 reported missing, the disaster management authority said on Wednesday, September 2.
Chinese state media reported an additional 21 deaths and 541 missing on the Tibetan side, bringing the previous combined toll to 1,225 dead and 4,757 missing. Hope of finding survivors is fading, but rescuers continue tireless searches through mud and debris.
«An unimaginable catastrophe»
A week after the disaster, Nepal remains in shock over its scale. «This is an unimaginable catastrophe,» said Dhruba Prasad Adhikari, deputy head of the administration of the devastated and still isolated Rasuwa district. «We must face the truth: this flood surpasses anything we could have imagined.»
Call for global responsibility
36-year-old Prime Minister Balendra Shah, a former rapper and Kathmandu mayor who has held office for only six months, addressed parliament for the first time on Wednesday with a report on the situation. «My heart aches when I hear the cries of the victims,» he said in an emotional speech. «Even if our bodies are tired, it is not yet time to rest. Even with a broken heart, it is not yet time to sit down and weep.»
Balendra Shah pointed to the role of global warming in the disaster and emphasized the injustice faced by his country—one of those least responsible for climate change. «Climate change is the result of global actions, and responding to disasters is also a global responsibility,» he stated.
According to Le Parisien
