Kathmandu [Nepal], September 2 – China on Wednesday said that 261 foreign nationals from 23 countries are missing following the devastating flood and landslides in Nepal.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a press briefing that China had informed the embassies of the countries concerned in China about the missing nationals on Tuesday.
Guo said China was ready to maintain communication, coordination and cooperation with all sides to support efforts to locate and rescue those missing. Around 100 Chinese nationals remain unaccounted for, in disaster-affected areas of Nepal. He also thanked Nepal for its efforts to search for and rescue them.
China also expressed hope that Nepal would continue efforts to locate missing Chinese nationals and evacuate affected people to safety.
Guo attributed the disaster along the Nepal-China border to long-term climate warming and resulting instability in glaciers. A joint assessment by Chinese and Nepali experts found that an avalanche involving ice and rocks from a glacier swept rapidly downhill causing extensive damage and triggering the disaster, he said.
Guo stressed the need to address the long-term impact of climate change on glaciers and said China and Nepal had long cooperated in meteorology, water resources and disaster prevention and mitigation.
Following the disaster China provided Nepal with satellite imagery, hydrological data, photographs of affected areas and early warnings about a dangerous lake formed upstream.
Meanwhile, the road route to the Gyirong Port in Gyirong County, Xizang, southwest China, was reopened by 10 am Wednesday after repairs to flood and landslide damaged roads.
Rescue teams are using excavators and other heavy equipment to clear mud, rocks and debris and expand search operations deeper into affected areas.
