Nepal search operations continue a week after catastrophic floods

A week on from devastating flash floods in the Himalayas that killed more than 1,100 people and left nearly 4,000 missing, search and rescue operations continue.

On August 26, a torrent of water, mud and rocks swept through communities in Nepal and China’s autonomous Tibet region after a glacial collapse, leaving behind a trail of destruction.

At least 1,114 people have been killed in Nepal, according to the Reuters news agency. In neighbouring Tibet, Chinese authorities have reported 16 deaths and 546 people missing.

The disaster left at least 2.2 million tonnes of debris, the United Nations Development Programme said, noting this was a preliminary estimate. The area affected in Nepal was home to 11 hydropower stations and one solar plant, which have stopped operating. Another 15 power projects under construction, with a planned capacity of 470 megawatts, were also damaged.

Al Jazeera’s Barnaby Lo, reporting from Kathmandu, says more specialised equipment is being flown in to help with search and rescue operations, especially for about 600 workers, some of whom are believed to be stuck in tunnels below the hydropower stations.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s office told Al Jazeera that more than 270 workers were rescued from the tunnel sites, not inside.

“Still, search and rescue operations are continuing. The Nepali army is drilling, digging and trying to reach those people. And pretty soon they are going to be joined by a team of foreign experts from South Korea after the arrival of Chinese and Indian experts who have been helping out for a few days now,” said Lo.

Forensic experts from China and Singapore are also due to arrive to help with the management and identification of the dead, which has become a daunting task given the mounting death toll and the state of the decomposing bodies.