Trading food for medicine and crossing the river by zip line are part of life in Nepal flood zone

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Some survivors sheltering in relief camps after deadly floods in Nepal struggled Thursday to obtain essential medicines and cash, even as authorities provided food and other basic supplies to thousands of displaced people.

The shortages are adding to the hardships of those living in temporary shelters after having lost homes and belongings.

Suresh Kumar Karanjit, who has been staying at a relief center in Devighat, a town in one of the worst-affected areas in Nuwakot district, lost his younger brother in the floods last week. He said the camp did not have the exact medicine prescribed for his heart condition.

Karanjit only managed to get the cash he needed to buy his regular medicine after selling a carton of noodles he received as relief for 400 rupees ($2.60). “We have been living here for a week. The relief materials are being provided, which is good. But there is a lack of medicine,” he said.

Nepal’s disaster chief, Dharam Raj Uprety, said health centers staffed by doctors and stocked with medicine have been set up at each shelter. Uprety said authorities were also focusing on hygiene and sanitation to reduce the risk of disease.

The Aug. 26 floods that were likely caused by a glacier collapse devastated towns and valleys in Nepal, destroying homes, roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure. At least 1,252 people were killed and more than 4,200 remain missing, according to the country’s disaster management agency. China as of late Wednesday said 21 people were killed and 541 were missing on the Tibet side of the border.

Nearly 4,000 people displaced in Nepal are staying in 34 relief centers.

In some of the worst-affected areas, residents were finding other ways to navigate after floodwaters left communities cut off from regular routes.

In Bidur town, along the Trishuli River, residents used a temporary zip line to cross between the riverbanks. Army personnel helped people onto the makeshift crossing and assisted them as they reached the opposite bank, while others waited along the riverbank for their turn.

Meanwhile, rescue efforts have increasingly focused on tunnels at several hydroelectric projects where workers are believed to be trapped. About 900 workers remain missing, while specialized rescue teams from India, China and the United States are involved in efforts to reach those trapped in the tunnels.

It was unclear whether workers feared to be trapped in the tunnels were alive.

At the Trishuli-3A tunnel, workers began manually opening the upper section of the passage, according to lawmaker Ram Neupane. An access road was built over the past week to reach the excavation site, but more rock blasting and debris clearing will be needed before heavy machinery can reach the area, he said.

Residents commute across the Trishuli river on a newly installed zipline in the aftermath of flash floods at Bidur in Nepal's Nuwakot district, Nepal, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Residents pull the steel wire of a newly installed zipline to help people commute commute across the Trishuli river in the aftermath of flash floods at Bidur in Nepal's Nuwakot district, Nepal, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Residents wait for their turn commute across the Trishuli river on a newly installed zipline in the aftermath of flash floods at Bidur in Nepal's Nuwakot district, Nepal, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Residents commute across the Trishuli river on a newly installed zipline in the aftermath of flash floods at Bidur in Nepal's Nuwakot district, Nepal, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

Residents pull a newly installed zipline to help people commute across the Trishuli river in the aftermath of flash floods at Bidur in Nepal's Nuwakot district, Nepal, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Gunfire could be heard throughout a downtown Minneapolis apartment building as police responded to an active shooting Wednesday that left three people dead, including the suspect, and five others wounded, authorities said.

The five wounded by gunfire included two Minneapolis police officers, while a sixth person, another officer, suffered other injuries, police Sgt. Garrett Parten said at a news conference. All three officers are in stable condition, according to Hennepin County Medical Center.

A 911 call about shots fired at the building came in just after 4:30 p.m. Officers were dispatched and less than two minutes later they were inside the building and quickly found victims, said Interim Police Chief Bill Peterson.

Officers heard more gunshots and followed them to a higher floor, where they found “a haze that significantly limited their visibility,” he said. Peterson did not provide additional details about the haze.

One officer was shot in the leg and another was shot twice in the abdomen, he said. All three injured officers were expected to make a full recovery, he said.

Authorities did not provide any details about the suspected shooter but said they were familiar with the person before the shooting.

“I’m truly sickened by this level of violence,” Peterson said. “That feeling is tempered only by the courageous actions of the Minneapolis police officers, who responded without hesitation, confronted an extraordinarily dangerous situation and worked to end the violence and restore safety.”

One of the victims was fatally shot at the scene, and one died after arriving at the hospital, he said.

Parten said it was not immediately clear how the shooter died.

Hennepin County Medical Center said it received seven patients but didn’t share additional information about their conditions.

Julius Bailey was sitting outside his apartment building when he heard gunshots and saw a man he recognized as a resident of the building holding a pistol. Bailey said he heard a woman screaming and immediately started running away. He said he counted eight shots.

Bailey said that he recognized the man holding the gun because he was someone who was known for showing off his weapon. Bailey said he has tried to avoid the man since moving into the building in June.

“I could tell he was trouble,” he said.

Chris Miller, who also lives in the apartment building, said he heard a rapid succession of gunshots and quickly ran outside for safety. He said he believed he knew who carried out the shooting and that he encountered someone in the hallway with a handgun earlier this week and reported that person to management.

Video posted to social media showed police aiming rifles upward at an apartment tower near the Minneapolis Convention Center. Officials warned residents to avoid the densely populated Loring Park neighborhood nearby.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said in a post on social media that state officials were on the ground helping local law enforcement respond to the shooting.

“Grateful to law enforcement actively working to ensure the safety of our neighbors in Downtown Minneapolis this afternoon,” Walz said. “Minnesota is praying for our first responders.”

The FBI was responding to the shooting and “will offer any and all resources necessary to assist local authorities,” Director Kash Patel said in a post on the social platform X.

Golden reported from Seattle and Riddle from Los Angeles. Associated Press journalist Josh Kelety in Phoenix contributed.

Law enforcement respond to a shooting Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in downtown Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

Police respond to a shooting Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in downtown Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

Law enforcement respond to a shooting Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in downtown Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

Law enforcement respond to a shooting Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in downtown Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

Law enforcement respond to a shooting Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in downtown Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

Police respond to a shooting Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, in downtown Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)