Britain and Canada have pledged millions in emergency aid to Nepal after catastrophic floods killed at least 579 people and left dozens of Britons missing.
The disaster has left 1,924 people missing across the country, with search efforts focused heavily on Rasuwa district along the border with China.
More than 30 British citizens are among the hundreds feared dead in the mountainous northern region, where rescue crews continue searching amid ongoing risks of further flash flooding.
Nepal, a landlocked Himalayan nation, frequently faces heavy monsoonal rain and landslides between June and September. Rasuwa district lies in central Nepal, bordering the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, where steep topography creates severe hazards during intense rainstorms.
British rapid deployment team dispatched to Kathmandu
London is dispatching a specialized Rapid Deployment Team to assist British nationals and their families affected by the disaster. The crisis response personnel are scheduled to arrive in the capital city of Kathmandu on Saturday.
The team will operate alongside staff at the British embassy in Kathmandu and local Nepalese emergency services to coordinate relief operations and consular assistance.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband stated that images from the disaster zone were shocking and expressed sympathy for all those impacted by the severe weather. He emphasized that the safety and well-being of British citizens remained the top priority for the government.
Miliband explained that British staff were working in close cooperation with Nepalese officials, emergency response teams, and the embassy to ensure that affected individuals could obtain vital assistance and information during the crisis.
The deployment forms part of a wider British aid effort, which includes £5 million in humanitarian support designated for immediate relief and long-term recovery. The funding will support local government initiatives alongside relief projects managed by the United Nations, the Red Cross, and various non-governmental organizations.
Canadian funding and international emergency aid
Canada has announced CAD $5 million, equivalent to 3.1 million euros, to fund emergency search and rescue operations in the flood-affected areas.
Randeep Sarai, Canada's parliamentary secretary for international development, confirmed the humanitarian package during a press briefing, stating that the funds would directly support emergency personnel working on the ground in Nepal.
International support is scaling up as rescue teams assess the full extent of the destruction. The European Union has separately pledged 2 million euros in disaster assistance to support relief operations.
Amid the ongoing crisis, searchers and reporters on the scene have assisted survivors, including a mother who was reunited with her eight-year-old son at a local hospital after a journalist helped locate the boy.
Rescue workers in Rasuwa and surrounding areas remain on high alert as emergency crews continue searching for missing residents and foreign nationals, amid fears that additional flooding could sweep through the devastated region.
