Fears are growing of a second disaster after hundreds of people were killed in a flash flood on Wednesday, as ITV News Correspondent Neil Connery reports from Nepal
A total of 579 people have been confirmed dead, and nearly 2,000 are reported missing in Nepal
At least 121 foreign nationals have been rescued, while 622 remain out of contact
The Red Cross estimates that at least 93,000 people 'have been affected and are in great need'
Nearly 2,000 people have been reported missing in Nepal as rescuers race to find survivors after a catastrophic flash flood devastated the Himalayan border.
The country's death toll rose to at least 579 on Friday, according to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).
It also said 1,924 people remain missing, as rescuers faced further pressure from warnings that an overflowing lake formed after the disaster on the border between Nepal and Tibet could trigger more flooding.
Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah said: "I pray from the bottom of my heart for the safety of all Nepali brothers and sisters and for a safe future.
"In this difficult time, the state is with every family affected by the disaster. The state will reach every citizen waiting for rescue."
In its latest update, Nepal’s Tourism Board said 121 foreign nationals had been rescued, while 622 remained out of contact.
However, NDRRMA said 517 foreign nationals were among those missing.
The difference in figures at this stage of the disaster is normal. Different agencies are working in chaotic and stressful conditions, particularly during the critical rescue phase, which has disrupted communication networks.
With infrastructure heavily damaged, official figures are likely to be different and lag behind one another.
Among those missing in Nepal are 33 British nationals.
The UK said late on Friday that it is deploying a Rapid Deployment Team to Nepal to support British nationals and their families affected by the devastating flash floods.
The team will arrive in Kathmandu on Saturday and work alongside the British Embassy and local authorities to provide additional consular support and co-ordinate assistance.
Included in the 33 are two British teenagers, a 13-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy.
An Essex nurse said his relatives were "swept away" by the floods, as he launched a fundraiser to support those affected by the disaster.
Rajendra Pudasaini, president of the Non-Resident Nepali Association UK, said Nepal was witnessing an "irreplaceable loss", adding that the country was "paying the price for global warming".
The nurse, who works at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, said: “My wife's auntie and uncle, and their granddaughter and her husband are missing, and my godson as well."They’re gone. The speed the water came, they couldn’t be saved; they were just swept away. The town and the villages were swept away; it’s a tragic thing.”
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) crisis centre was working "around the clock" to help Britons affected by the floods.
“British nationals in Nepal should follow local authority advice and exercise caution while travelling,” the department said. “For consular assistance call (+44) (0)207 008 5000 or (+977) (0)14237100.”
In a post on social media, Miliband said: "We’ve offered an initial £5 million to help with the response to the effort in Nepal.
"And indeed we’ve also made an offer in my conversation with the foreign minister from Nepal this morning of search and rescue and other help should the Nepalese need it."
The King said he and the Queen were “heartbroken” and sent their "most profound sympathy" to those affected.
The International Red Cross said it estimates at least 93,000 people “have been affected and are in great need".
Head of delegation in Nepal for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, David Fisher, said some areas are still accessible only by helicopter, and it hasn’t yet been possible to complete initial assessments.
Unicef said at least 17,000 children are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, while 18 schools have been destroyed and another 20 damaged.
Six health facilities have been damaged and eight health workers are missing, according to the World Health Organisation.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said a magnitude 5.2 seismic event occurred near the border between Nepal and China on Wednesday at 8.37am local time.It added that a “glacial collapse and debris flow” caused “subsequent catastrophic impacts downstream”.
Risk of further flooding
Nepali and Chinese authorities warned of further flooding from a lake that formed upstream after Wednesday’s disaster and was already overflowing, urging people in potentially affected areas to move to safer ground.
China has warned that a barrier lake formed at the confluence of the Tsogyal and Purupqiangzangbu rivers is overflowing and could burst.
On Friday, Nepali police said a water dam on the Tibetan side had burst again, but no further details were provided, and the extent of any further flooding remains unclear.
All security personnel, rescue workers, and members of the public deployed in rescue and relief efforts were told to remain on high alert and immediately move to a safe location if necessary.
China's Ministry of Water Resources said on Thursday that the lake held around 2 million cubic meters of water and was expected to receive another three million cubic meters over the next three days.
Nepal's army said a team was sent to the border point to inspect the Bhotekoshi River amid the potential for more floods.
Thousands of people have been evacuated
The NDRRMA said on Friday that 3,253 people had been airlifted by helicopter from the country’s disaster area.
More than 150 of the injured were taken to hospitals in Kathmandu and the districts of Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading.
Foreigners from multiple countries were among the missing, many of them trekkers and pilgrims.
Nepali Army spokesperson Brig Gen Raja Ram Basnet said that a team had been deployed Friday to the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project near the Nepal-China border following reports that people were trapped inside a tunnel."It is complicated to find the entry and exit points of the tunnel because everything has been covered by mud," Basnet said. "Our first priority is rescuing the stranded people."
Videos of the disaster showed floodwaters destroying buildings, bridges, and vehicles as people ran in front of the story's high torrent.
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