Missing Swiss woman found alive in Nepal floods

Floods in Nepal: A Swiss national is also among those missing Keystone-SDA

A Swiss woman who had been reported missing by the Nepal tourism authority following a flash flood between Nepal and China has been found alive.

The online paper 20min.ch had first reported on the rescued Swiss woman. Among the foreigners rescued and found are 30 other nationals from India, Italy, Bulgaria, the US, South Korea, Russia and those with as yet unknown nationalities.

Following the floods in Rasuwa, Nepal, the tourism authority reported 644 people missing. Most of those missing are Indian or Nepalese nationals.

FDFA travel service

The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) had previously received no information regarding Swiss nationals who had been injured or killed. Investigations into this matter are currently underway.

Currently, around 20 travellers have registered with the government Travel Admin service. Around 120 people are registered in the Register of Swiss Citizens Abroad. The FDFA was unable to provide any information on how many people were in the affected region. Swiss nationals in the area are advised to follow the instructions of the local authorities.

Switzerland pledges $1 million for relief efforts

On the X platform, Swiss President Guy Parmelin said he was “deeply saddened by the devastating floods” and paid tribute to the victims and their families. Switzerland stands in solidarity with all those affected and with everyone working tirelessly to support the local community, he added.

In response to the devastating floods in Nepal, Switzerland is providing around $1 million (CHF800,000) via the United Nations for humanitarian aid in Nepal, the FDFA announced on Thursday.

The funds are to be channelled into clean drinking water, emergency shelter, food aid, medical care and psychosocial support for the affected communities. According to the FDFA, the humanitarian aid will be delivered using resources available on the ground.

Swiss aid organisations provide emergency aid

The Swiss aid organisations Helvetas and the Red Cross have now launched emergency relief operations. To fund the aid, both organisations have launched a fundraising appeal in Switzerland.

The aid organisation Helvetas has sent a team to the disaster area. Local staff will assess the extent of the damage and prepare the emergency aid, as Helvetas announced on Thursday. The organisation has allocated CHF100,000 for this purpose. The priority is to provide the population with emergency shelter, drinking water and hygiene items.

The Swiss Red Cross (SRC), with the support of the federal government, is providing a further CHF50,000 for emergency aid. The SRC stands ready to support the local Red Cross, which has been on the ground since the very beginning, “with specialist staff and further aid funds”.

More than 1,300 people missing

On Wednesday, massive masses of mud and rock had wreaked havoc in the mountainous region between Nepal and south-western Tibet, stretching along the Bhotekoshi River as far as central Nepal.

The cause of the flood is still under investigation. However, following initial analyses of satellite images, the Nepalese Disaster Management Authority suspected that a glacial avalanche may initially have blocked a tributary of the Bhotekoshi, which rises in the Tibetan highlands, as reported by the Kathmandu Post. This is said to have formed a temporary lake, which subsequently burst its banks. A flood wave of water, ice and debris then swept downstream into the Himalayan nation.

According to official figures, the number of people missing in Nepal alone has risen to 826. This brings the total number of people missing in Nepal and China to more than 1,300. Among those missing are also numerous tourists. The affected region is a popular hiking destination and a stop on the route for Buddhist and Hindu pilgrims travelling via Nepal to the sacred Mount Kailash in Tibet.

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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.