After the deadly flooding that struck Wednesday night, Nepal is facing the risk of a second wave. At least 359 people were killed in flash floods and landslides that wiped out entire villages in Nepal and Tibet.
1+The second flood is expected to result from debris and sediment blocking rivers upstream at the Nepal-China border, officials said. “Such a blockage could create a secondary hazard if the pooled water is released all at once,” a local official said.
Rescue efforts continue to locate at least 1,500 missing people, while hundreds of others have been left homeless across the Himalayan region, authorities said. Nepali officials say search efforts are complicated by the destruction of dozens of bridges and damage to about 40 kilometers of roads.
1+They added that the current was so powerful that rescuers found bodies about 100 kilometers from the disaster zone, in Chitwan district. About 600 foreign nationals are among the missing—more than a third of the total.