Aid began to reach some survivors in the country following the catastrophic flash floods that swept through the mountainous border region between Nepal and China, as the full scope of the devastation continued to emerge and survivors sought shelter at makeshift army relief centres.
Children who have been separated from their families are being given shelter as attempts are made to reunite them with families.
The UN’s agency for children said at least 17,000 children are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, while 18 schools have been destroyed and another 20 damaged.
The International Red Cross estimates that at least 93,000 people have been affected and are in “great need”.
Rescuers worked through mud and debris in areas devastated by a catastrophic flash flood along the mountainous border between Nepal and China.
In Nuwakot, one of the flood areas closest to Kathmandu, entire villages were swept away in a matter of minutes. What remains is covered in sediment and thick mud.
The Associated Press visited a school in Nuwakot that is being used as a temporary aid distribution centre, where non-governmental organisations distributed solar panels, clothes and basic hygienic goods.
“What I’ve been given today is worth more than a million,” said Kanchi Nepali. “I have no food, no shelter, no utensils to cook with. Only my body survived.”
Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 14,829 security personnel have been mobilised for search and rescue operations, which includes using drones to search for survivors in areas dangerous to access.
Those rescued from the area are taken to Maithali Barrack, a military training centre in Nuwakot that has been turned into relief camp and shelter.
Helicopters come and go with people and supplies. Community members surround the barbed wire perimeter of the centre, waiting to see if their loved ones will arrive in the next helicopter.
In cases that are considered to be too severe – such as when a pregnant woman at the centre began experiencing labour pains – those individuals are airlifted to a nearby hospital.
Children who were separated from their families are also at the shelter as centre workers attempt to help reunite them. — AP
