Photos: UN urges global aid after China, Nepal floods kill over 1,300

UN launches $50m appeal to aid over 84,000 flood survivors in Nepal amid cholera risks and sanitation challenges.

Soldiers rescue a worker from a tunnel during an ongoing operation at the Trishuli-3A hydropower project in Nepal's Rasuwa district. [Nepal Army via AP Photo]

The United Nations’ top official in Nepal has issued an emotional appeal for international aid, warning that survivors of the catastrophic Himalayan flooding last month saw their lives transformed “in one to two minutes”.

The UN Resident Coordinator, Lila Pieters Yahia, said communities along the China-Nepal border were struggling to comprehend the scale of devastation after torrential floods on August 26 tore through mountain districts, destroying roads, bridges and hydropower dams.

“You lose your home, you lose your livelihood, you lose your loved one and you lose the breadwinner of your family,” she told the AFP news agency in Kathmandu. “And you know, this happened in one to two minutes.”

At least 1,384 people were killed and more than 5,500 others remain missing in Nepal and the Tibet region of China. Among the missing are more than 800 foreigners from at least 34 countries, including tourists and pilgrims.

Many communities near the epicentre remain cut off, with roads washed away and journeys that once took hours now stretching into days. The UN, working with Nepal’s government, has launched a $50m appeal to support more than 84,000 people affected.

The UN’s Pieters Yahia warned of the risk of cholera and other communicable diseases, citing the deaths of 5,000 cattle and urging urgent investment in sanitation, hygiene and protection for vulnerable women and girls.

“My plea to the international community is: this is the time to help Nepal,” she said. “We can’t leave them alone.”

The flooding that authorities say was likely caused by a glacial collapse last month has killed at least 1,384 people and left more than 5,500 missing, among them about 800 foreigners. [Pedro Pardo/AFP]

Flash flood survivors rest in a relief shelter at Devighat in Nepal's Nuwakot district. [Pedro Pardo/AFP]

The United Nations has launched an appeal for $50m to help more than 84,000 people, saying the destruction makes delivering aid an immense challenge. [Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP Photo]

Flash flood survivors collect aid from a temporary relief centre at Devighat in Nepal's Nuwakot district. [Pedro Pardo/AFP]

Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has highlighted how leading greenhouse gas emitters have a 'historical responsibility to compensate vulnerable nations like Nepal'. [Pedro Pardo / AFP]

He added that the government has officially filed a 'formal climate compensation claim letter' to international partners. [Pedro Pardo / AFP]

Salvaged belongings ins a flash flood-damaged house in Devighat in Nepal. [Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo]

While the exact cause of the glacial collapse remains under investigation, experts say that the frequency and scale of glacier floods have increased as global temperatures have risen. [Pedro Pardo/AFP]

A United Nations study found that floods have become nearly five times more frequent since 1950. [Prakash Mathema/AFP]

联合国发起5000万美元募捐呼吁，援助尼泊尔超过84000名洪灾幸存者，同时应对霍乱风险和卫生挑战。

在尼泊尔拉苏瓦县的特里苏里-3A水电站项目施工期间，士兵们从隧道中救出一名工人。[尼泊尔陆军供图，美联社发布]

联合国驻尼泊尔最高官员发表了一份充满感情的国际援助呼吁，警告说，上个月喜马拉雅山灾难性洪水的幸存者们的生活“在一两分钟内”发生了翻天覆地的变化。

联合国驻地协调员莉拉·皮特斯·亚希亚表示，8月26日暴雨引发的洪水席卷了中尼边境山区，摧毁了道路、桥梁和水电站大坝，中尼边境沿线的社区仍在努力理解这场灾难的规模。

“你失去了家园，失去了生计，失去了挚爱，失去了家里的顶梁柱，”她在加德满都告诉法新社。“你知道吗，这一切都发生在短短一两分钟之内。”

尼泊尔和中国西藏地区至少有1384人遇难，另有5500多人失踪。失踪者中包括来自至少34个国家的800多名外国人，其中包括游客和朝圣者。

震中附近的许多社区仍然与外界隔绝，道路被洪水冲毁，原本只需几个小时的路程现在需要几天时间。联合国与尼泊尔政府合作，发起了一项5000万美元的募捐活动，以援助超过84000名受灾民众。

联合国官员皮特斯·亚希亚警告说，霍乱和其他传染病的风险很高，他列举了 5000 头牛死亡的例子，并敦促紧急投资于卫生、个人卫生以及对弱势妇女和女孩的保护。

“我呼吁国际社会：现在是帮助尼泊尔的时候了，”她说。“我们不能让他们孤立无援。”

当局称，上个月冰川崩塌很可能是造成洪水灾害的原因，目前已造成至少1384人死亡，5500多人失踪，其中包括约800名外国人。[佩德罗·帕尔多/法新社]

在尼泊尔努瓦科特县德维加特，山洪暴发幸存者在救援避难所休息。[佩德罗·帕尔多/法新社]

联合国发起募捐活动，呼吁筹集5000万美元，以帮助超过84000人。联合国表示，灾情严重，救援物资的运送面临巨大挑战。[拉杰什·库马尔·辛格/美联社照片]

在尼泊尔努瓦科特县德维加特，山洪暴发的幸存者们在临时救援中心领取援助物资。[佩德罗·帕尔多/法新社]

尼泊尔外交部长希希尔·卡纳尔强调，温室气体排放大国“负有补偿尼泊尔等脆弱国家的历史责任”。[佩德罗·帕尔多/法新社]

他补充说，政府已正式向国际伙伴提交了“正式气候赔偿请求函”。[佩德罗·帕尔多/法新社]

在尼泊尔德维加特，一栋被洪水冲毁的房屋内，人们从洪水中抢救出一些物品。[Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo]

冰川崩塌的确切原因仍在调查中，但专家表示，随着全球气温上升，冰川洪水发生的频率和规模都在增加。[佩德罗·帕尔多/法新社]

联合国一项研究发现，自 1950 年以来，洪水发生的频率增加了近五倍。[Prakash Mathema/法新社]