Nepal halts search for missing, leaving fate of 1,000 unknown PHOTO / VIDEO / UPDATED

Nepalese authorities have suspended the search for people missing after a devastating mudslide, leaving the fate of about 1,000 people unknown, including 11 Russian tourists, Baza reported.

The death toll from the disaster has risen to 475.

Nepalese experts have also warned of the risk of infectious diseases caused by contaminated water in the affected areas. The threat extends to both local residents and tourists, who have been advised to drink only boiled water and avoid food that may have come into contact with floodwater.

The suspension of the search follows the Nepalese government’s earlier decision to reject offers from several countries to deploy search-and-rescue teams to help locate people missing after flooding along the Bhotekoshi River.

Nepalese authorities have said the country’s own army and police are capable of conducting the search operation. The government’s decision was also influenced by the experience of the 2015 earthquake, when the arrival of large numbers of foreign rescue teams complicated the coordination of relief efforts.

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he death toll from a massive flash flood in northern Nepal has risen to 475, with hundreds of people still missing as search-and-rescue teams scour river channels and surrounding areas, The Kathmandu Post reported.

The flooding struck Rasuwa district and neighbouring parts of northern Nepal on Wednesday morning, sending a destructive surge of water, mud and debris into the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers.

The torrent destroyed homes, bridges, roads and other infrastructure, while several communities were cut off from the outside world.

The Nepal Tourism Board said 667 tourists and travellers were reported missing in the affected area, including 127 Nepali nationals.

The Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force have been deployed in the search-and-rescue operation. Helicopters are being used to evacuate people from remote and otherwise inaccessible areas, while ground teams continue searching along riverbanks and nearby terrain.

The scale of the disaster has complicated rescue efforts, with authorities continuing to search for people who remain unaccounted for.

By Tamilla Hasanova