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The Saudi Press Agency reported that Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz sent a cable of condolences and sympathy to President Poudel over the victims of the devastating floods and landslides in northern Nepal. In the message the king shared the pain of the affliction that resulted in deaths and missing persons while extending his warmest condolences to the president the families of those who died and the friendly Nepalese people. He expressed hope that the missing would return safely to their families and that the country would be spared any further harm. The Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman sent a parallel cable that expressed his deepest condolences and sympathy to President Poudel the bereaved families and the Nepalese people while wishing for the safe return of those reported missing according to the agency.
Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority figures show the domestic death toll reached 626 on Saturday with more than 2,400 people still unaccounted for in the Himalayan nation. The authority’s data places the highest casualties in Chitwan district followed by Nawalparasi East with additional fatalities recorded across Gorkha Dhading Nuwakot and several other central districts. China’s authorities separately reported seven deaths and more than 550 missing in the Tibet region bordering Nepal a combined toll that pushed the overall fatalities above 600 and the number of unaccounted for near 3,000 according to CBS News.
The disaster struck on August 26 after the collapse of a glacier and rocky ledge near Langtang Lirung peak sent a torrent of mud water and debris surging down the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river systems the Red Cross reported. More than 3,700 people have been rescued in Nepal so far while emergency teams have treated over 1,400 injured the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority assessment found. Hundreds of the missing are foreign nationals including nearly 90 Americans who were trekking working or on pilgrimage in the affected border area the U.S. State Department said.
Rescue operations have faced repeated setbacks from damaged roads power outages and the risk of secondary flooding as poor weather persisted into the weekend a United Nations official told NBC News. India dispatched an 11-member team of medical personnel and tunnel rescue experts while the United States China and the World Bank pledged support to a government relief fund that has already received commitments totaling 229 million dollars. The United Nations resident coordinator in Nepal added that the world body is providing 2 million dollars in immediate humanitarian assistance.
The Saudi messages align with a pattern of official condolences extended by the kingdom’s leadership after major disasters in friendly nations the Saudi Press Agency has noted in similar announcements. King Salman’s cable specifically highlighted the hope for the missing to reunite with loved ones while both messages avoided any reference to ongoing rescue challenges or future preventive measures. Nepal’s government has mobilized more than 11,000 security personnel including army units to accelerate search efforts in the most inaccessible zones according to the Nepal Army’s public relations directorate.
