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Floods and landslides across Nepal and China’s Tibet region have killed more than 500 people and may have affected at least 93,000, while the scale of trauma and destruction remains “enormous,” the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said Friday.
The disaster struck Wednesday, sending a tsunami-like wall of water through communities, burying homes, destroying bridges and sweeping away vehicles.
“Due to roads and bridges having been washed out and both cell coverage and electricity cuts, we have not yet been able to access some of the hardest-hit areas,” said David Fisher, the IFRC’s head of delegation for Nepal.
“The trauma of this event is enormous,” he said, adding that thousands of homes had been destroyed or badly damaged.
Nepal’s Red Cross has begun distributing emergency supplies, including food, water, hygiene kits, mattresses and blankets.
Lila Pieters Yahia, the U.N. resident coordinator for Nepal, said drinking water was being airlifted into affected areas.
“The damage is just incredible,” she said, adding that more than 40 bridges had been destroyed or seriously damaged and over 40 kilometers of road had been completely destroyed.
Search and rescue operations remain the government’s priority.
U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher said the organization was “moving at speed to save lives.”
UNICEF said at least 14 children had been confirmed dead.
“Sadly, we're only seeing the beginning of this tragedy,” spokesperson Ricardo Pires said.
He warned that surviving children now faced increased risks of disease, malnutrition, violence, exploitation and psychological trauma.
Eighteen schools were destroyed and another 20 damaged, leaving an estimated 10,000 children in urgent need of support to continue their education.
Kamal Kishore, head of the U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, said the scale of the disaster was still being assessed.
“We haven't seen a mountain hazard event like this for a very, very long time,” he said.
Kishore warned that the disaster was still unfolding in an environment where one event could trigger “a range of cascading hazards.”
The World Health Organization said eight health workers were missing and six health facilities had been damaged.
“The priority is to ensure continuity of health services,” WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said.
The agency has delivered surgical masks, gloves and body bags to Nepal as emergency operations continue.
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