For families still waiting for word on their loved ones who are missing after the devastating August 26 mudslide and floods in Nepal, every passing day brings more anxiety, even as authorities reaffirm that locating foreign nationals remains the government's top priority.
The disaster, caused by an ice-rock avalanche in Nepal, hit multiple locations along the China-Nepal border.
The Nepal Police said on Saturday that the death toll from the deadly mudslide in Nepal has crossed the 1,300 mark. Among the roughly 4,900 people still missing are nearly 600 foreign nationals from more than 30 countries. Many travelers went missing along the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage route in the wake of the disaster. Some 300 people have been rescued, and search efforts continue for the missing.
On Thursday, Nepal's foreign minister briefed the diplomatic community in Kathmandu, assuring them that the safety and well-being of foreign nationals remain the government's top priority.
A dedicated cell has been established to coordinate with the families of missing foreign nationals and keep them informed as search and identification efforts continue.
Relatives are now lining up at DNA collection centers in Kathmandu, which will use the samples to identify those who lost their lives in the disaster.
A relative of missing victims, Vishal Vignesh, has traveled from the United States to search for his parents and three other family members, who were a part of the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage.
"It is a catastrophic situation unfortunately. There are certain limitations that Nepal army has put on internationals and their ability to access the points. So we are not able to go to Raswagarhi at this point, which is my hope to at least go to some of the camps and try to see if we can get some semblance of their existence," said Vignesh.
Swati Bagrecha's family, like many others, has not given up hope. Her 13-year-old daughter Anusha is still waiting for her mother to return from what was meant to be her dream trip along the pilgrimage route.
"For her, her mama is the only one person in the world whom she loves the most, and for her mama, [it's vice versa.] That's why I think the connection is going to bring them back together. I am very sure Swati has that in her mind, as Anusha is always in her mind," said Smiita Bagrecha, another missing victim's relative.
The wall of missing at one of Kathmandu's main hospitals has become a desperate last resort for families searching for their loved ones. Identifying the dead is proving difficult, as many of the bodies have been severely damaged or are in an advanced state of decomposition. With morgues overwhelmed by the number of victims, some bodies have already been temporarily buried. Authorities, however, are preserving DNA samples and other forensic records, allowing the remains to be identified at a later stage.
Search for foreign nationals continue in Nepal after disaster
Search for foreign nationals continue in Nepal after disaster
As the world grapples with multiplying crises and a dangerous decline in international trust, a senior Uzbek lawmaker has called for greater unity and multilateral cooperation to tackle shared crises.
Sodiq Safoyev, first deputy chairman of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis (national parliament) of Uzbekistan, said the world is navigating a complex era of "polycrisis" marked by wars, pandemics, and growing division, and that the response should not be to create new dividing lines, but to unite people and act collectively.
"Today we're living in a difficult time worldwide. Even some academicians defined the contemporary world as in a time of polycrisis or simultaneous occurrence of several catastrophic events, indeed, wars, pandemia, fragmentation of the world. And I think that it's a time not to create new division lines, but to unite the people and act together, vis-a-vis global challenges. I think that such an idea, proposed by his Excellency, Chairman [President] Xi Jinping, is very important, because it brings very clear idea that today we need to build cooperation and to think about the next generation's destiny, to save the earth from the challenges which we have," said Safoyev.
Safoyev also pushed back against the notion that deglobalization has taken hold, saying that international trade, information flows, and migration remain unstoppable. However, he warned that rising interconnectedness has been accompanied by a dangerous decline in mutual trust and understanding.
"Some people think that the process of deglobalization has started. I don't think so. I don't think that it's possible to stop international trade, flow of information, migration of people who want to study abroad, who want to work abroad. Globalization is not stopping and that's why interconnectedness of the nations only increases. But at the same time, simultaneously, we're absorbing diminishing of trust and understanding. It's a very dangerous combination. We connected, but we don't understand each other," said Safoyev.
Acknowledging that international organizations fail to meet public expectation in resolving conflicts, Safoyev said that regional mechanisms such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and cooperation between China and Central Asian countries offer models for effective cooperation.
"And I think that international organizations today are not matching expectations of the people in the regard with preventing conflicts, preventing the problems and resolving them. And it's the most challenging issues of the contemporary world. And I think that's why the experience of Shanghai organizations [the Shanghai Cooperation Organization] and cooperation between China and Central Asian countries is very important to demonstrate that it's possible," said Safoyev.
He also said that Central Asia serves as a prime example of overcoming fragmentation and uniting, as the region has transformed from one plagued by border disputes, suspicion, and resource conflicts a decade ago into a cohesive, cooperating bloc.
"From the more positive side, I'd like to note that the situation in Central Asia is something which might give us some more optimism. Twenty years ago, even 10 years ago, Central Asia was divided, divided by suspicion, divided by unresolved issues like unresolved borders, many conflicts of interest in the regard with the using the water resources of the transnational water resources etc. Today, in a relatively short time, period of time, Central Asia became completely different, more and more consolidating, uniting, having joint approach to the regional problems. And that's why Central Asia started to lure more attention worldwide. We're seeing that [there are] more interests of the global actors with the Central Asia, and I think that it demonstrates to the whole world that it's possible today now to overcome fragmentation and to unite. And that's why we, as usual, have both some concerns. But at the same time, we must be optimists in looking ahead," said Safoyev.
He also said that wisdom of humanity and visionary leadership inspire optimism that building future of common shared destiny is possible.
Senior Uzbek lawmaker calls for regional unity, cooperation amid global "polycrisis"
