MUSCAT: The Sultanate of Oman expressed its solidarity with the government and people of Nepal following the floods that swept through several regions, resulting in casualties, missing people, and widespread material damage.
In a statement issued on Thursday by the Foreign Ministry, the Sultanate of Oman expressed its sincere condolences and heartfelt sympathy to the families of the victims and its wishes for the safe return of the missing and a speedy recovery for the injured.
Meanwhile, Nepal and China both warned on Thursday of fresh risks of flooding in the Himalayas as two lakes that have developed on either side of their border threaten to burst in a region still grappling with this week's catastrophic flood.
Search and rescue operations are still underway in the debris-strewn valleys and hillsides, with nearly 1,000 people still missing after Wednesday's flood struck the border regions of Nepal and China's Tibet, killing at least 362 people.
Both countries have blamed the flood on a glacier collapse that pushed rock, ice, mud and debris into river systems in the mountains.
Nepal's disaster authority issued a notice on Thursday warning that a lake formed by debris blocking a river at the flood site is rising and at risk of bursting.
"Residents of the lower banks... passengers, rescuers engaged in rescue operations, and all concerned are requested to exercise special caution and stay in safe places away from the river banks and risky areas," the authority said.
China warned that 3 million cubic metres of water - the equivalent of about 1,200 Olympic swimming pools - are expected to flow into an already dammed lake on its side of the border over the next three days, creating a high risk of a breach, with peak flow expected around September 1.
Rainfall forecast over the coming week will exacerbate the threat, Chinese state media said, citing the Chinese water resources ministry.
"The volume of water is continuing to increase, and so is the risk," Zhu Jinfeng, a researcher at the water resources ministry's hydrology department, told state broadcaster CCTV.
Heeding the warning, some rescue workers in Nepal began moving towards higher ground on Thursday.
Among them was Pawan Koirala, who began moving away from the river bed along with his team of 13 after the warning was issued.
International aid organisations are scrambling to help victims of devastating floods and landslides. UN relief chief Tom Fletcher said on Thursday he had allocated $2 million "to save lives with emergency medical care, shelter, water" after the "horrifying flash floods".
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has sent medical kits to provide basic health services to 10,000 people for three months, while the World Food Programme and UN children's fund are readying relief supplies.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said it had allocated more than $1 million.
"Many families have lost their homes," IFRC chief in Nepal David Fisher said, adding that whole settlements had been "wiped out".
Mona Sherpa, head of Care Nepal, said her charity was worried about "the spread of waterborne diseases due to damaged water and sanitation infrastructure".
Neighbouring India sent a military cargo plane with aid hours after the disaster, with further planes flying in nearly 50 tonnes of supplies. Delhi was also sending in steel Bailey bridges, with infrastructure washed out in Nepal.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said earlier that India was "ready to provide all possible humanitarian assistance to Nepal".
Bangladesh said it was sending tents, mosquito nets, food and body bags, according to a government statement.
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the island nation stood "ready to assist Nepal in rescue and clearance operations."
The European Union said it had activated its Copernicus satellite surveillance system to help recovery efforts.
Japan was sending an emergency response team, while Switzerland has said it had allocated more than $600,000.
The US State Department said it was sending a disaster response adviser along with $500,000 in aid. — Agencies
ONA/Reuters
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