KATHMANDU: Nepal Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal on Thursday called the massive floods that caused widespread devastation in the country a “Himalayan Tsunami” and thanked neighbouring countries and the international community for their support and solidarity during this difficult period.
Khanal’s comments came days after an interview with a private television channel, in which he identified China, the US, and India as the world's three largest greenhouse gas emitters and said they have a "historical responsibility to compensate vulnerable nations like Nepal".
Khanal said that the industrialised countries, which are responsible for carbon emissions, need to compensate a country like Nepal, which has a negligible contribution to carbon emissions.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Wednesday also said the disaster's link to climate change must be strongly raised with the international community.
While briefing the international diplomats based in Kathmandu about the devastation caused by the Bhotekoshi River floods on Thursday, Khanal said, “I want to call the disaster the Himalayan Tsunami as we have not experienced such a massive disaster in our recent memory.”
Expressing gratitude to neighbour countries, friendly nations and the international community for their support and solidarity, Khanal said that “Nepal will continue close cooperation and collaboration with the international community in this regard.”
Ambassadors of different countries, chiefs and representatives of diplomatic missions, and representatives of the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, the United Nations and other international organisations were present at the briefing.
Khanal also informed the diplomats about the search and rescue operations being carried out by the government as well as the condition of the foreign nationals in the wake of the disaster.
He said that the government’s top priority was to save the Nepalese and foreign nationals by intensifying search and rescue operations in the affected areas.
The flash floods, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal, leaving a trail of destruction.
The death toll due to the devastation surged to over 1,250 on Thursday as more bodies were recovered from the affected areas, with over 4,800 still missing.