Nearly a week after devastating floods swept through Nepal, the death toll has risen to at least 939, while rescue teams are still trying to reach hundreds of people stranded at hydropower stations. The disaster was triggered by a glacier collapse near the border with China, sending ice, rock and mud through towns and valleys.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah said more than 11,000 people had been rescued across the affected region. Road access has been restored to Nuwakot, one of the worst-hit districts, while power and communication lines are back in some areas.

Rescue efforts are now focused on several devastated hydropower stations, where around 600 people remain stranded. Authorities estimate that close to 1,000 workers were initially trapped, of whom 279 have so far been rescued.

Neighboring India and China are assisting rescue efforts, including the construction of temporary bridges to reach remote areas. Nepal has received more than $42m in international aid since the disaster.

Shah said the catastrophe highlighted the growing risks facing the Himalayan region and called for the effects of climate change to be raised more forcefully internationally. China’s state broadcaster said the flood was caused by glacier instability linked to the long-term effects of global warming.

(Reuters, max)