Iran Ready to Dispatch Relief, Medical Teams to Flood-Hit Nepal

Pirhossein Koulivand, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, conveyed the message to Bishal Kumar Bhandari, chairperson of the Nepal Red Cross Society, expressing sympathy with the victims’ families and those affected by the disaster.

“The Iranian Red Crescent Society stands with you in these difficult moments and, while expressing its sincere sympathy to you and the Nepal Red Cross Society and extending condolences to the bereaved families and those affected by this tragic disaster, declares its readiness to dispatch relief and medical teams,” Koulivand said in his message.

Rescue teams are searching for hundreds of missing people on the border between Nepal and China after a catastrophic torrent of floodwater and mud swept through several communities following a glacier collapse on August 26.

The disaster has left at least 270 people dead and more than 1,300 missing, including foreigners and pilgrims. Hundreds of others are displaced across the Himalayan region, authorities said.

Nepali officials say search efforts are being complicated because dozens of bridges have been destroyed and damage to nearly 40km of roads.

Nepali army helicopter operations rescued more than 100 people from flood-affected areas on Thursday.

Rescuers found bodies about 100 kilometers downstream from the disaster zone in Chitwan district. Dozens of injured people have been transported to Kathmandu for advanced medical care.

The focus has shifted from rescue to large-scale relief operations in flood-hit districts, said Bishal Kumar Bhandari. About 1,200 people have been displaced from at least three villages, he added.

In Tibet, a mudslide near the land border crossing at Gyirong on Wednesday left surrounding areas covered in mud more than 1.5 meters deep on average, with some sections of road exceeding 2 meters.