Kathmandu: The confirmed death toll from Nepal’s catastrophic floods has surged to 903, with more than 4,200 still missing as rescue crews and humanitarian workers battle blocked highways to reach the hardest-hit areas, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Monday. Recent flash flooding is now Nepal’s deadliest natural disaster since the April 2015 earthquake.
According to United Nations, the devastating floods, which were triggered by a glacier collapse and landslide on Nepal’s border with China last Wednesday, have left 65,000 people in dire need of emergency water, sanitation, and hygiene. More than 10,000 people have been rescued so far, including 252 foreign nationals, but access remains the biggest obstacle to response efforts.
The UN emergency relief agency, OCHA, highlighted that roads are passable only as far as Nuwakot, and some highways linking Kathmandu to the worst-hit areas remain completely blocked. Nepal’s government has deployed over 20,000 search and rescue personnel and declared a flo
od emergency in 15 municipalities.
At the same time, the World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Tarik Jašarevic expressed concerns over overcrowding and disruptions to water, sanitation, and health services, raising the risk of infectious disease outbreaks. OCHA’s recent assessments revealed that about 2,600 children under five are expected to require treatment for severe wasting or acute malnutrition, and around 10,500 pregnant and breastfeeding women need nutrition assistance.
The floods have also damaged 19 schools, with nine completely destroyed, and eight more being used to shelter displaced families. More than 10,000 school-age children require psychosocial support. Preliminary reports indicate that 107 children may be separated from their parents or caregivers, prompting first responders to prioritize family tracing and reunification.
Kamal Kishore, head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), emphasized the unprecedented nature of the glacier collapse and warned that the full ex
tent of the damage is still being assessed. The disaster has also affected the Tibetan side of the border, where Chinese authorities report at least 16 dead and 546 still missing.
UN climate chief Simon Stiell noted the disaster as a reminder of the fragility of mountain environments, exacerbated by climate change, which has made such tragedies more likely and severe, with vulnerable communities often hardest hit.
In response to the crisis, the World Food Programme (WFP) has dispatched nearly 80 metric tonnes of food, reaching about 9,200 people with assistance expected to last 15 days. UNICEF has moved therapeutic food for approximately 500 severely malnourished children and mobilized 15 emergency medical teams. Furthermore, the UN’s humanitarian partners have established a coordination hub in Nuwakot to enhance planning and information sharing among organizations involved in the disaster response.